The Aura of Orre
by Silent Gale
Summary: The trials of life have always been difficult to overcome. Learning the ways of the Aura, discovering his long lost family, and overcoming the challenges of the fierce region of Orre; the legacy of Red is born.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliations. I only own the OC's and the plot.**

**Reference: ****_"thought/Aura speech"_****/ ****_'_****Pokemon speech'/ "speech" **

**Author's Notes: As most of you can expect, this story will be taking a different approach in how the storyline progresses. Don't worry, I'll still have some epic battles in the future, but this is a prequel for a reason. Well hope this goes well.**

* * *

"Big brother," Amy started whining. "Where are we going? We're walking around without a clue to where we're headed."

"Don't worry sis, I've got it covered," her older brother responded.

It's been a year since his abandonment, but for the one known as Ash Ketchum, he was doing just fine. After his leave, he started training in various places including Mt. Silver. Eventually, he decided to take a break and head to Unova for a vacation. Unfortunately, he ended up earning the eight gym badges, but he did manage to stay true to his word and did not enter the Unova League.

"Ever since that vacation in Unova, I don't know what we've been doing." Off to her side her Riolu was shaking its head in agreement to his partner. "At least with in Unova, we actually were doing something. Too bad you didn't feel interested enough to join the league, but you did get a whole new lineup of Pokemon."

When Ash first felt abandoned, he decided to recall all the members of his team. This included travelling to the Viridian Forest and re-obtaining his Pidgeot (which he gave to Amy to protect her), his Charizard, etc. They've begun training in all sorts of places, but mostly in Unova.

Along with his revitalized team, he got a new look. He lost the hoodie and hat, and he instead opted for wearing a black shirt that had a couple of tears from the wear and tear damage. He still kept his fingerless gloves, but he did wrap around a black and faded blue bandana around his left wrist.

Amy on the other hand was like a miniature Delia back in her youth. Her raven black hair was put into two ponytails. She had a green blouse with a pair of blue shorts. She exudes a bright cuteness anyone would find adorable.

"Don't worry we're headed to a famous spot. It's perfect for the beginning of Aura Practitioners."

"We're headed to Rota!" Amy squealed. "Finally I can actually get somewhere with my training. You have it easy considering you've done it before."

Yes, they were headed for the city of Rota. There the famous castle grounds of Cameran Palace stands. There the tale of Sir Aaron and his Lucario are found. The beginning of the lineage of non-legendary Pokemon first discovering Aura thanks to the teachings of the most famed Aura Guardian.

"_Are we truly headed for the noble city master?" _asks Ash's own Lucario.

"_Indeed." _"There's actually something I've always wanted to know." His voice makes Amy and their current Pokemon turn toward him. "They say that the Aura is supposed to link specific Pokemon together. Then how come almost every unbounded Riolu or Lucario I meet I find some connection towards."

This question has been settling in his mind ever since his Lucario joined his team. He already knew that his Aura was similar to Sir Aaron's because of the whole Lucario in the staff accident that happened when he was last here. There was also the strongest Riolu of the time knowing Aura Sphere, yet he was also able to communicate with it as well.

"_Master, is this why you choose to go to Rota?"_

"_That is my main reason. There is also the fact that even you and I together don't know enough about the Aura." _It was strange. The mysterious source known as the Aura was something truly hard to define. It was even so elusive that even Riley couldn't give the answers, yet it was the dream to become an Aura Guardian that has linked them. Though, Ash himself was still far from his goal.

Riley said he visited Cameran Palace when he first started as well. Since Ash has had a reintroduction towards the Aura arts, he decided to start from the beginning.

Thus they head to the beautiful medieval palace of Cameran Palace. It was a beautiful sanctuary located in the center of Rota. There was also a familiar significance in doing this pilgrimage. According to their mother, this was the place where their father grew up.

Of course this affected both of them both sentimentally especially Amy. Amy in particular grew up with their father when the divorce happened. Of course Ash still thought of the man as his father, he never had a personal attachment like his sister.

It was not long before they were walking down the road that led to Rota.

"This sure brings back memories," he says as he gazes around the place. They were sad, bitter memories but he's gotten over the feeling of the shame and regret.

"I know what you mean brother," Amy says.

When a questioning gaze was sent in her direction, she mumbles, "Well Dad used to visit here and would take me along."

'Pikapi Pika.'

"Well Amy it seems Pikachu here wants to return to my shoulder instead of being crushed to death."

"Hey! I didn't crush him."

'Pika Pikachu Chu Pika,' it cried indignantly.

"Well looks like Pikachu has spoken. Anyways what does that sign over there say?"

Heading towards Cameran Palace, they were surprised to see a sign.

They read and it and were surprised to see that the annual festival was today.

"Wow can you believe our luck?" asks Amy.

"I remember going to it two years ago. There's a long standing tradition that the winner of the main event becomes the Guardian of the Aura. I actually won the tournament, right buddy," Ash says as he tickles Pikachu's chin. The response was a gentle, 'Cha Pikachu.'

"Hey Amy, do you think I should join?"

"Of course big brother!" her sister cheers. "I want to see you battle again. Though, which name are you going to be going under?"

Yes the dilemma. Ever since they left on this journey they've been known as Red and Leaf, yet they would still use their name when it was needed. Ash wasn't sure considering if he used his name, it would bring unwanted attention, yet he would be able to contact the queen.

Pondering over this dilemma, he stands there tapping his chin. "I think we'll be going anonymous. Once we arrive at the chamber, I'll tell the queen of our problem."

This time he looks between his two Pokemon.

"I know Pikachu that you want to do this, but you've already won before. Besides our mission is to train in the Aura and to do that I'll need Lucario."

Pikachu's face drops but still understands. It leaps into Amy's arms knowing that it will have to stand by.

"_Thank you Master. I won't fail you."_

"_I know you won't,"_ Ash responded. _"Besides if you lose, you won't be able to look Riolu in the face without saying you're a disappointment,"_ he teased.

Lucario doesn't even bother to answer back.

"Well okay then. We're headed to the castle once more."

* * *

"Wow there's so many clothes to pick," Leaf gushes. They already switched into their pseudonyms since they were in public.

"There sure is sis," Red replies. "I know exactly what I'm going to wear."

In a few moments time, Leaf was wearing a cute, medieval style dress. Red on the other hand wore the same costume he did last time. Only this time there was such a pure resemblance that it would be understandable that Red was Sir Aaron. The age difference really did matter.

They look out the window. They see the vast trees and the medieval style arena where they were going to compete.

They both leap out the window and pull out one of their Pokeballs. To the casual observer, it looks like they were falling to their own death. In a flash, two Pokemon fly out and catch them.

One was the fierce blue dragon of Red's team. It was his Garchomp.

Appearing beneath Leaf was a bird that was more majestic than most. It was the Guardian of the Viridian Forest Pidgeot.

"I'll catch up with you guys later. You know where to go?"

Leaf nods.

"Okay Pika, I want you to go with her." Pikachu leaps from Garchomp to Pidgeot into Leaf's open arms.

"Good luck brother."

* * *

It was in the famous stadium of Cameran Palace that the battles take place. It was a grand stadium built like a Roman style stadium. The actual Pokemon stadium was a sight to behold. The center of the stadium had a red circle that looked flowery that represented the symbol of Cameran. At each corner was a blue trimming that looked like a corner of the center's design.

A royal announcer comes up to the center and blows his horn. "May I present to you her royal majesty?" The roar of the crowd gets louder as her highness enters her viewing platform.

"And now in honor of Sir Aaron and his noble deeds we will begin our annual Pokemon contest!" Lady Ilene states to the audience.

"Today we have the annual Guardian of the Aura Pokemon contest. These rounds will be single-elimination of sixty-four trainers. First up are Red and Jesse."

The trainer known as Jesse walks into the ancient stadium much to the crowd's cheer. That was until Red makes his entrance.

Red leaps off his Garchomp along with Lucario and land on their respective side of the stadium kneeling. Red then rises and recalls his Garchomp.

This entrance makes the crowd go wild. It was if a new Aura Guardian was battling before them.

This whole exchange garners the interest of the Lady Ilene as she looks down from her box above the crowd. She instantly recognizes him, but she doesn't say anything just looks on.

"The battle between Red and Jesse shall now commence."

"Lucario, let's go."

His opponent calls out an Ampharos.

"Ampharos use Thunderbolt."

"Lucario dodge into Close Combat."

The blue jackal easily dodges the bolt of lightning and starts delivering a series of punches at a quick pace.

"Ampharos use Fire Punch."

"Lucario don't let it. Use Aura Sphere."

Ampharos backs away and starts gathering a fire into its fists. Before it could launch itself, an Aura Sphere blows up the ground around it, knocking Ampharos away.

"Finish this off with Aura Sphere."

Another blue orb is fired off at a rate that Ampharos can't dodge and is blown away. Ampharos lands in a heap in the center of the stadium.

"Ampharos is unable to battle. The trainer Red moves on."

_(Skip to the finals)_

"Here we are. The finals of the Aura of the Guardian tournament will now conclude with this final battle. On my left is the trainer that has amazed us with the performance of an Aura user, Red. On my right, she's the kind beauty that has emerged victorious through her many battles for our home town today. Here today we have our home town girl Rui!

Red leaps into the stadium only realizing something different about this girl. The orange haired girl no sign of anything out of the ordinary, but Red trusted his instincts. This girl was special.

"Well I hope we have a good battle Red," she says serenely.

"_I'll have to figure her out later; first is the battle,"_ thinks Ash. "Alright Lucario, let's win once more.

"I choose you Togekiss!" she responds.

"_I got it now," _Ash suddenly realizes. _"Her Aura is stronger than most. It's almost a psychic resonance but it could be a strong Aura. She is special." _He then starts his communication with Lucario_. "You feel it too Lucario?"_

"_Indeed master. This one is special."_

"_Why thank you," _a new voice enters in. _"I can tell that you two are special as well."_ This voice was undoubtedly Rui's.

"_Then let's begin." _"Lucario leap and then use Aura Sphere."

"Togekiss use your own Aura Sphere."

Lucario jumps til it reaches Togekiss's height and launches an Aura Sphere. Togekiss starts creating its own and launches it. The two attacks cancel while Lucario lands back down into a crouch.

"_That Aura, what is it?"_ Red wonders. _"Lucario you can see it too right?"_

"_Indeed."_

Unnoticed by everyone in the crowd, but the two Aura users, Togekiss's Aura starts beginning to streak a white shade. This color was enveloping around Togekiss and its own Aura Sphere.

"So you noticed, didn't you?" Rui says with both a sad look but also contemplative one at the same time.

"What was that?" Red asks again.

"Purification," she replies simply. Ignoring the questioning look, she orders her next attack, "Togekiss use Extremespeed."

"Lucario use Bulk Up into Force Palm."

Togekiss dives and soars straight at Lucario. Lucario seems unfazed as it tenses up its body and grabs hold of it. It then releases an electrical shockwave straight into Togekiss's stomach sending it away.

"Togekiss don't stop. Use Fire Blast."

"Lucario use Copycat."

Two five pointed flames collide into each other negating each other out, but it appears Togekiss is on its last set of endurance.

"Togekiss use Roost."

"_Here's my chance." _"Lucario use Close Combat. Turn your fists into Ice and Thunder."

As Togekiss lands to try and rest up some of its health, Lucario charges forward with its fist crackling with electricity on his left and frozen cold fist on his right. This barrage of attacks on the immobile Flying type finishes the job.

"Togekiss is unable to battle; Lucario wins. Therefore, may I present to your new Guardian of the Aura Red!"

The irony in the statement wasn't lost between Lucario and Red as the crowd roars in approval.

"Congratulations Red," Rui says while recalling her Togekiss. "I know you have some questions, so I'll see you at the ball?"

"Sure thing," he replies.

He turns around only to be tackled from behind by his sister. "I knew you could do it big brother!"

On her sides were her Pichu and Riolu while Pikachu bounds up to his shoulder; all of them voicing their agreement.

"Come on let's go."

* * *

The ball in honor of the annual festival was held in the glorious halls of Cameran Palace. Beautiful fixtures were adorned on the ceiling including the main chandelier. Elevated a bit higher was where Red found himself sitting in the same chair that he was forced to endure before. Behind him stood a portrait of the greatest Aura Guardian to walk the earth. He himself looked vaguely familiar to this long ago hero. It was the grand portrait of Sir Aaron.

Red found himself to be very bored. The staff presented by Lady Ilene was empty considering that Lucario was already freed, but the significance of holding it was not lost to him. It didn't change the fact that he was still bored.

He still had to wait until tomorrow to ask Lady Ilene his request. It would seem all those dancing lessons he took while on his vacation in Unova were for nothing especially since he almost died from embarrassment when practicing with Iris while Cilan and his sister were watching.

Switching his thought process, he scans the crowd. He saw his sister dancing with a boy her age. It didn't stop him from wanting to beat the kid up and protect his sister, but he knew it would be the wrong thing to do. The two were close, after all, since a connected family was what they always wanted. It was because of this he decided to trust her. She did, after all, still have her Pokemon for protection.

He then began scanning the crowd once more. It was then that he saw that orange haired girl from before walk towards him.

"It would seem that you are bored out of your mind," she speaks in a light tone.

"That's because I am."

"Well cheer up. Your brooding should be over since the festival is about to conclude."

It was then he realized that it was his moment to lift up the staff. Once, he was done the festival concluded.

After the crowds left, it was only him along with the Queen, Rui, and his sister.

Lady Ilene speaks first. "It's been a while hasn't it Ash Ketchum. I've heard from your sister that you wanted to speak to me."

Pocketing the knowledge that Amy knew the queen aside, he speaks up. "I want to begin formal training for becoming an Aura Guardian," he says while beginning to genuflect.

"Why?"

"I have trained my Pokemon to the extent of their evolutions. It wouldn't be fair to them for them to grow stronger if I myself cannot keep up. I have a bond with each and every one of them. They grew stronger on my behalf, and I wish to do the same for them. Furthermore, I found out that this path isn't something I can freely avoid. During my adventures after leaving the royal palace, especially during my travels through Sinnoh and Unova, the Aura has always kept up with me in one form or another. Have you ever heard of the strongest Riolu?" he questions her.

"You mean the famous Aura Sphere- Riolu of our sister city of Lucario Kingdom?"

He nods, "The very same. It would seem that my Aura synched with his even though he isn't officially my partner. I also found out that the Spiritomb inside the Hallowed Tower near a small village close to Solaceon Town was sealed by an Aura Guardian whose partner was a Pikachu. I had to reseal this Spiritomb which seemed to recognize Pika's and my Aura likened to the one who originally sealed it. There have been other instances like how I got my Mienshao. Like my Lucario, it has also been a partner in the Aura just not as strong as Lucario."

He waits a moment before speaking again, "As you can see, the Aura has followed me throughout my journeys no matter what I do. It would seem best if I went along with it. I know that you know I can handle any of the dangers that are involved with this, but I must press forward and say this is a must."

She sighs in return. "It would seem we would have another join our ranks. Please then follow me you two. Rui, you know where we are headed right?"

The orange haired girl nods her head. The brother and sister were led towards the back of the palace to a dark room in the back. Lady Ilene claps her hands and the room is lit up.

There was barely anything there except a couple books and scrolls. On the wall was a tree of a bunch of names.

"This is the Origin of Aura."

The two siblings were overcome with shock. There were thousands of names including their own towards the bottom.

"Aura isn't something that comes out of nature. It was a blessing bestowed upon our family," says Rui. It was then that they noticed her name was close to theirs as well. "It's purely genetic and it is quite the recessive trait. Few people realize that."

"The wall there shows the members of our family that have been blessed with a gift of the Aura. We are born into this power, but few members have it. Psychics on the other hand are granted their ability by either genetically or random luck," states Lady Ilene. "The actual lineage of Aura is recorded in these scrolls."

Ash, still in amazement, picks up one of the scrolls. Inside, it lists the first ever Aura user, Sir Ronin. It then goes on to list several important members. Sir Aaron was shown a couple generations following. Towards the bottom of the list, it shows Riley being very distantly related to the two siblings, but the most shocking thing was how Rui was related to them.

She smiles at the pair of them and says, "Looks like you found out that I'm your cousin. My name is Rui Auroris. Your dad's my uncle same as mine is yours. I bet Grandma and Grandpa will be glad to see you"

"Wait so you really are my cousin?" Ash says still in shock. This whole exchange didn't seem to stop Amy as she instantly latches onto her new found cousin.

Rui looks down at her and gently pats her head. "I've been looking for you guys since uncle died. I asked your mom, but she didn't know where you were at the time."

Ash snaps out of it, but then realizes something seemed amiss. "How come your last name is Auroris? If we really do have the same grandfather, then how come our last name is different from yours?"

"It was because uncle changed his last name. I'm pretty sure most of our family still retains the Auroris legacy passed on from Sir Ronin. Even Sir Aaron was named Aaron Auroris. I don't know why he changed it."

Amy starts poking Rui who was still embracing the excitable young girl. "Can we go see Grandma and Grandpa?"

"Of course you can. They'd love to see you guys."

"We seemed to have gotten off topic," state Lady Ilene. "Like I was saying, the names on the wall represent the list of people in your family that have received the gift. This is why I brought Rui along, not just for a family reunion. It would seem that both you and young Amy have inherited this gift."

Rui continues the conversation, "In other words, I'm going to teach Amy here how to be an Aura Reader just like I am. Ash, you're going to have to learn on your own, because I did the same." Seeing the look he was giving her she goes on and says, "From what Lady Ilene has already told me about your heroics at the Tree of Beginning, you already know about the crystals and Time flowers that grow here."

Ash nods, until he realizes where she's going with this. "You still have the Time flowers of past Aura practitioners learning how to become a Guardian right?"

"Indeed. The Time flowers are kept in the same room where we've kept all the training regimens deep within the chambers of Cameran Palace," states Lady Ilene. "The usual regimen consists of the male going in and following the tutelage of the Time flower. If they are successful, they should be able to communicate through the crystals that grow throughout Rota, there source being the Tree of Beginning. If you can communicate through them, then they say your training is complete," states Queen Ilene.

"Then what about us Rui?" asks Amy.

"Females gifted with the Aura are remotely different. There gift is centered on the combination of an empath and Aura which allows us to see the hearts of Pokemon. It's a better form of gauging the strengths of Pokemon, while at the same time, being able to visualize the heart of the Pokemon," she says though it seems as if a chill swept through her body when speaking it.

"Does this have anything to do with you saying that your Togekiss had purification?" Ash asks.

She nods. "I actually developed my gift because of my own adventure I had with my boyfriend Wes. I was originally just going to visit Grandma and Grandpa, but I was then kidnapped during a nefarious plot."

Ash and Amy seemed alarmed at this, but she just goes on. "They live in Agate Village which is a small village in Orre. It was known for criminal activity and shady dealings, but I was an innocent girl that didn't realize these things. After being kidnapped, Wes saves me. It was then that we discovered that there was a criminal organization that was closing the hearts of Pokemon, essentially turning them into a Shadow Pokemon. Seeing the Aura of those Pokemon still gives me a couple of shivers now and then."

"I'm assuming your Togekiss used to be one of the Shadow Pokemon?"

She nods her head again. "There's a reason why Grandpa lives in Agate Village. He is the keeper of the Relic Stone, which is a shrine to Celebi. It also is where, when certain conditions are applied, a Pokemon can become purified. This is why you noticed Togekiss's Aura as white. The purified Pokemon to us can be seen as a white glow that surrounds it."

She then takes out two Pokeballs. She releases a Medicham and Togekiss. "These are my partners in Aura. Technically, they were gifted from Wes, but they follow my commands so it's all good."

While Amy lets go of Rui to go look at the Pokemon, Rui again takes out another thing. It was an ornate flute.

"This is a Time Flute. I was hoping that maybe one day you'd be able to recreate it to recall Celebi when we need help with purification. Luckily, we still have a spare, but we never know when we might need another."

"I promise I will," he vows.

Lady Ilene then breaks the silence. "Well it's late at night, so I suggest we turn in. Rui would you be a dear and show them the guest chambers. You three are welcome for the night may I say more than that."

That was the queue for all of them to leave the room to go upstairs towards the guest chambers.

"Can I sleep with Rui?" asks Amy as they finally reach a split in rooms.

"If it's alright with you," he says turning to his orange haired cousin.

"That's fine with me. Night cousin."

"Yeah night."

* * *

The sun shines brightly on the halls to Cameran Palace which made the scene breathtakingly beautiful. Along with the fact of this beautiful work of architectural structuring, it also had the painstaking misfortune of getting a certain raven haired trainer lost.

"This is so unreal. How can there be so many hallways? I clearly remember the way getting to our rooms was a lot faster than this. We should have gotten to the dining room by now." He stops when he hears two sets of rumbling stomachs one after the other.

'Pika Pika Pikapi.'

"Great idea partner, Lucario come on out."

"_What is it that you require Master?"_ his loyal Lucario comes out in a flash of light appearing in a bow.

"I still can't figure out how to sense Auras from far away so I need you to find where Amy is because wherever she is, the food will be."

Lucario closes its eyes and its ears start to stand up. He then quickly dashes forward with Ash trying very hard to catch up. Finally they come upon a set of great wooden doors.

"_They're in there Master."_

He nods and pushes open the doors. In front of him was quite possibly the largest table he'd ever seen. Sitting on the other side of the table was Lady Ilene at the head of the table with Rui on her left and Amy sitting on Rui's left. Nodding to them, he walks over and grabs a roll and starts to eat. The Pokemon were leisurely sitting on the wall having some of their own food as well.

The silence was then broken by the queen. "When you are all finished I would like you to come follow me to the training grounds."

She walks away leaving the now reunited family alone. Not much was spoken until they put away they finished their meals.

"I'll show you where you need to go Ash. Amy will be staying with me for the duration of her own training, but first I believe a more rounded education on the Aura would be for you two."

They turn towards her as she releases once more her Togekiss and Medicham.

"Let's start with the basics. Which Pokemon do you know can be partners to an Aura Guardian?"

Surprisingly or not Amy answers first. "There are three main ones: Riolu, Togepi, and Mienfoo along with their respective evolutionary lines."

Rui smile a little bit at that, "That's true but not all together correct. Tell me, how did you arrive with that fact?"

"It's because they're the only non-legendary Pokemon that have access to their most notable move Aura Sphere."

She chuckles at that, and Ash seems to have come upon an epiphany to the reason why his cousin is acting this way. "That wouldn't explain a couple things," he says.

"Very good you figured it out." Noticing the blank look in her younger cousin's stare, she decides to elaborate, "If you notice, my Medicham doesn't have access to Aura Sphere, but it is still adept at using the Aura. There are exceptions to the many rules. Just like how a person doesn't have to start with the starter Pokemon of their home region, an Aura Practitioner doesn't have to be exclusive in their choice. Remember the legendary Aura Guardian that sealed the Spiritomb, his partner was a Pikachu."

"Wait so does that mean Pika and my Pichu could be our partners?" the little girls asks demurely.

"Maybe at a rudimentary level you can. I've heard that Ash can already communicate with his Pikachu right?" Noticing his brief nod, she continues her point, "A person can bond to their Pokemon as deeply as they can dream of. It's just with Aura it is a bit more specific. Some Pokemon may still be sensitive towards Aura because it is their nature."

"If you check your Pokedexes you'll find out that Medicham is capable of seeing Aura, making it a perfect partner to the females like myself. Celebi, the whole reason our grandparents live in Orre, is able to purify the hearts of Pokemon, thus it is also considered a Pokemon of the Aura. Also you know the Alpha Pokemon itself Arceus? It was the one who gave our founder the power of Aura along with the help of Mew. Why do you think Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina can use Aura Sphere?"

"So in essence because Aura is in all living things, it is possible for any Pokemon to use it, but the fact remains some Pokemon just have a better ability to use it unlike others," Ash sums it up.

"Oh I think I get it now," Amy says.

Rui seems to panic suddenly. "Oh my I forgot about our queen's order. I'll show you the training ground now before she gets any more impatient at us for our tardiness."

* * *

"I've been waiting patiently Rui. Whatever took you so long?"

"I had to answer some questions milady."

"I see," the queen nods her head. Turning around to face the two siblings, she states with a flourish of her arms, "Welcome to the training grounds of the Aura!"

It truly was a majestic looking place. There was a wide amount of space with lots of crystals, Time Flowers, and weird training devices. It wowed the two of them.

"Well to be honest, most of this is for the males' training. The Time Flowers will instruct you how to learn."

"Wait so does that mean that a male Aura user can become an Aura Reader and vice-versa for a girl."

Rui answers him. "Theoretically so, but it isn't very likely. Well then you two are you ready to learn?"

The two siblings look at each other before grasping a set of Pokeballs. Ash's Lucario and Mienfoo come out along with Pikachu leaping off of his shoulders. Amy's Riolu and Pichu come out. All of them have a very determined look on their faces.

"Let's do this."

* * *

**A/N: If a lot of you are wondering over some of the facts, I did plenty of research on what I was using as the terminology. There are so many mentions of many minor details about the Aura that surprisingly few people actually know about. I for one didn't know that Cameran Palace was part of Rota or many other things. That is why this chapter was mainly dedicated towards being an info dump, but I might as well get it out of the way first and if it intrigued you then all the better it is.**

**For those of you who have played Colosseum, I took the liberty of showing an actual hometown for Rui. Some might have forgotten, but Rui was only there to visit her grandparents before she tragically got kidnapped. I thus took the liberty to expand on that.**

**For those of you wondering about how cannon Ash will be if you read my other story, well let's just say that he went to Unova with his sister and mother, meets up with Cilan and Iris, and for the most part stuck with his adventures through Unova with some minor exceptions being he's added maybe one or two more Pokemon to his Unovan squad.**

**Well how do you think I did for the first chapter guys? I feel this story will be by far better than my last one so leave a review if you will.**

**P.S.: I don't know yet about the update schedule. It is summer, so I'll have more free time even if I might be busy. The problem is with the change in style of writing, I don't know if I'll need more time to finish a chapter on a scheduled basis so we'll all just have to see.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliations. I only own the OC's 0and the plot.**

**Reference: ****_"thought/Aura speech"_****/ ****_'_****Pokemon speech'/ "speech" **

**Author's Notes: I kind of wanted to move fast through most of the Aura training, so I could focus on the Orre plot. Sorry if you wanted to see more of that.**

* * *

_Three Months Later_

"_Faster, faster; dodge faster."_

A series of poles tied to branches of a tree were being hurled back and forth right at Ash in the center who was dodging and weaving with heavy, deep breaths. The task was simple. Dodge the dangerously fast poles before they strike you down blindfolded. It was one of the most key exercises in the Aura regiment if not the most notorious.

It took a few more minutes, but eventually he became overwhelmed with exhaustion as he got struck in the stomach collapsing onto the floor.

One by one, the poles gradually halted until they were completely still as before. The two girls who were watching quite amusedly began dragging the poor man from underneath the training exercise to empty, clear ground. The younger of the two selected a Pokeball from her collection and released it.

"Use Water Gun if you don't mind Starmie."

The star-shaped Pokemon obeys and drenches Ash. The cold water rouses him up and becomes looking frantic. It's not until a few minutes later that he's aware of where he was.

"Thanks sis and you Starmie."

"You know you didn't have to make it go that fast. You're already past the level of requirement to get accepted as an active Aura Guardian on duty," his cousin supplies.

"That maybe, but I know I can do better than that. I'm not going to stand for mediocrity," he says resolutely.

"I think I may have understated the fact, but I'll say it again. You're already past what you need to do; in fact I'm pretty sure that was past the record of doing it."

"_Master it's fine you've gone past your limits and exceeded expectations. None of us will be upset if you took a break," _Lucario says to him.

"Heh, I guess you all are right. I'll stop."

Taking the glass of water his sister hands him, he breaks the silence. "So does that mean we're about ready to head to Orre yet?"

"I thought you said that you wanted to be finished with your training?" she questions him.

"Um yeah; are we," gesturing to Amy and himself, "done yet?"

"Well… you've been ready for about a week. It's just that you decided to keep training."

"You never said we couldn't though," he replies back cheekily. "Besides, I've got a present for you. Amy, come with me."

The two siblings head inside for a bit before returning shortly. Inside Amy's arms was a present.

"Here you go Rui," they say. Upon receiving it, she opens the box carefully. Inside was a beautiful instrument. The very same one that Rui had hoped Ash could replicate.

"It took a while trying to learn how to do this in secret, but it should work," Ash says.

The very instrument held between her hands was an exact replica of a Time Flute. The only major difference was that it was made of Aura crystals given shape.

"It took a lot of effort, but I believe it can now summon Celebi without hassle."

The orange haired girl stands there shocked. "I can't believe it. Thank you so much you two." She then hugs each of them. After releasing it she states, "I thought it would have taken you at least six months instead of half of that."

Ash looking a little sheepish responds, "I had the right kind of motivation. Besides along with the fact that I've self-trained myself and Amy here a little bit on Aura, the Time Flowers had the memories of people who used Aura crystals quite efficiently."

"That and he wanted to try using an instrument for training his Pokemon later," Amy coughed. "Apparently there was some debate that an instrument helps synchronize Pokemon with timing and coordination. He just decided he wanted to try it for himself."

Rui then looks confused. "If you can make this flute at any time, why bother wrapping it?"

"I never said that I could do that. It took a lot of strength out of Lucario, Mienshao, and I. Even then Amy and her Riolu still had to pitch in. I know I can make it on my own in the future, but right now I'm having more difficulty stabilizing the crystallization process into a condensed shape," Ash says.

"By the way guys, since we're going to be leaving, why don't we figure out our plans?"

"Well then we better talk to the queen right?" asks Ash.

* * *

The three of them were saying their goodbyes to Lady Ilene outside the castle gates.

"It has certainly been an exciting few months," states the queen. "I've grown fond of having you three be with us in these halls, but alas I fear that it ends."

"Don't worry, we'll still visit milady," says Ash.

"I'm sure that you will. Please be safe on your journey and good luck."

With the last of their farewells, they start walking a bit until they reach the main part of Rota.

"So are you ready to be travelling through a desert?" asks Rui.

"Yep," the two of them say. Ash, now an official Aura Guardian, chose to use to replace his old black shirt with his new undershirt. The symbols of the Aura Guardian were etched into the fabric. Amy, deciding to be like her idol, was wearing a similar outfit like her older cousin, albeit a more modest version. All of them had a crest that symbolized the Aura attached somewhere on their person.

"Then how are we going to get there?" asks Amy.

"Good question. Please follow me real quick."

Rui starts to drag the two of them into the local café. She then places out a map of the regions.

"We are here," she says pointing towards Rota which was towards the northern part of Kanto. "Orre is at the very western part of the main regions. It's over here," she points it out to the two of them. "Now there are two options you can choose from. First is that you could fly there, but the conditions are very harsh, so it would be best to conserve some of your Pokemon's health. The second, and probably the best option, is to go to the port. It's known as Gateon Port."

"Then how do we get to Agate Village?" asks Amy.

"I usually ask one of my friends to pick me up. I think there's a parts shop, so we could ask them for a hover bike or something. Otherwise, I guess you could be able to use your flying Pokemon."

"Okay so we'll have to go to Pallet Town first then."

"Oh this is so exciting!" squeals Amy. "You can finally meet Mom."

"Yeah, it might be best if we stayed in Pallet for a few days. It'll give us a chance to say hello," says Ash.

"Agreed." As one they pick up and head outside.

"Amy why don't you do the honors since Pidgeot probably knows where Pallet is best."

"Alright let's go Pidgeot." The majestic bird comes out of its Pokeball staring at them wondering what it needs to do. "Pidgeot we need to head back to Pallet Town. Could you please take us there? Thanks."

They each climb aboard sailing at mach speeds to their hometown.

* * *

"Mom I'd like to introduce you to our cousin Rui," says Amy.

"Um hello Auntie, it's nice to finally meet you."

"Oh no dear it's fine. Ash already told me everything and I hear you need a place to crash for the night?"

"Um yes that would be nice."

"Oh you don't have to be so formal. You're family so you'll always be welcome here dearie. By the way Amy where's your brother. I'm almost done with dinner."

"I think he said he went to the backyard for a bit."

"Please tell him dinner is almost done. Rui, why don't you relax and stay in the living room while dinner is being prepared?"

"Thank you Auntie."

* * *

_Meanwhile outside…_

"Lucario you know how to use Psychic now after all that Aura training right?"

"_Indeed master._"

"Well I was thinking; you've seen how Draco Meteor works right? Well I was wondering if we could do something similar to it. You know like have a meteor- like attack, possibly with different spheres like Shadow Ball and Dragon Pulse. I want you to practice throwing out as many spheres into the sky as you can while controlling them with Psychic. This will be like our mini-project."

He then likewise started practicing different maneuvers with the rest of his party. It included several Pokemon learning how to handle 'Swallow,' others using Counter Shield, Floatzel perfecting the self-usage of Ice Aqua Jet, and Swellow helping Pikachu with their Thunder Armor combinations.

"_It feels good again to be with all of my Pokemon out here like this. We'll be ready for whoever stands in our way."_ Looking at his Pokemon, the Pokemon who've done so much for him like this, it strengthened his resolve to make them the best and nothing but their best because they deserve it.

It was during his musings that Amy finally appeared. "Big brother, Mom said dinner will be ready soon."

"Alright then, Pikachu and Lucario, take care of the group. Before I leave…" he grabbed out of his bag several cases of Pokemon food. "Chow time guys."

Before they could get stampeded, Ash and Amy ran inside their house just barely making it.

* * *

"Thank you for the meal Auntie."

"It's not a problem. Ash called ahead of time saying that you were going to visit. I took the liberty of creating a feast for my babies return." With that said, Delia immediately hugs both Ash and Amy to her causing them to blush a bit in embarrassment.

The food spread out before them was wide in its pallet. There were meats of all kinds including hams, turkey, and even burgers. There was a salad with dressing, gravies for the meats, you name it; it was probably there

Ash, although a bit more well-mannered, is still prone to eating hefty amounts of food. Even though he takes his time, his stomach is still the black hole everyone recognizes him by. The rest of the family is eating at a much more relaxed pace. All in all, it is there standard family reunion.

After it had been a couple minutes, the family starts discussing their conversation on where they're headed.

"So Ash has told me that you three were going to the Orre region? The region that's known for criminal activity…"she trails off.

"Mom it's okay. We're going to visit Grandma and Grandpa," pipes in Amy.

"I expressly forbid you going Amy; it's way too dangerous," Delia says quite worriedly.

"Don't worry Mom. Ash and Rui will be there to protect me, and Rui knows that region rather well."

When Delia's questioning gaze turned towards her, Rui answers, "Yes Auntie they'll be safe. I actually went on my own adventure there when a couple years ago. I've also heard that most of the dangerous criminal activity has stopped. I also know a couple friends there that can assist us including the resident Professor there."

Delia sighs. "I know you'll be safe there but it still aches my heart that you're potentially putting yourself into danger. A mother has her worries dears." She clears her throat and wipes the growing tears from her eyes. "At least tell me what you have planned first. Knowing you Ash you're going to find a battling competition, but what are your major plans?"

"Well first," Ash says pointing to the three cousins, "we were planning on heading out to Gateon Port. Then on arrival we were going to go to Agate Village to visit. Then after that, I guess we were going to go sightseeing after that."

"Well alright then, I'll let you go, but still be careful out there."

"We will!" the three cousins chorus.

* * *

"Why is it I always end up on the couch Pika?"

It was nighttime for the residents of the Ketchum dwelling, and the resident's only male once more finds himself stuck in the precarious position of being stuck sleeping on the couch.

* * *

_Flashback_

"_Now for the rooms," Delia says, "since we don't have four bedrooms Ash dear you'll have to sleep in the living room."_

"_Wait why do I have to?"_

"_Well, since Amy doesn't have her own room since she used yours while you were travelling, that's where she's going to be sleeping, and since Rui is a guest she'll be in the guest bedroom."_

_End Flashback_

* * *

"_I wonder what's going to happen in Orre. From what Rui has been saying, they compete more on tournament styled competition in Colosseums."_ He turns towards his buddy who was lying on the couch's edge, "What do you think about what's going to happen?"

'Pika Pikachu Pikapi.'

"I hope so buddy, I hope so."

* * *

"Bye Mom!" calls out Amy as they give their final goodbyes to Delia.

"Bye Auntie! It's been a pleasure visiting."

"See you soon Mom, we'll be back."

"Take care you hear and good luck for whatever happens," Delia calls out. _"They grow up so fast even little Amelia."_

After a couple minutes of walking, they finally head to the Pallet Town Harbor.

"Three tickets to Gateon Port sir," Rui asks the man at the counter.

"Gateon Port you say?" he asks. "Lucky you, we have a boat leaving in a couple minutes. How many bedrooms for your cabin?"

This time Red speaks up. "Two rooms conjoined together if you don't mind. One a single bedroom while the other with two beds."

"Here you are sir." The man hands them their room keys and tickets.

"Thanks."

They walked a little bit further on board before Rui asks Red something. "Why do you have to keep switching your names back and forth?"

"We only use our real names between close members of friends or family."

"And no last name?" she questions. The two siblings just shrug. Turning again, they find themselves at their rooms already.

"Here's your key Rui. I'm going to check out my room."

"Okay then. Come on Am…. I mean Leaf let's check out our rooms."

Red walks into the room. There was a single queen-sized bed in the middle of the room. There was a little patio that let the viewer watch the outside serenity. There was also a TV about 32'' and a couple shelves. The bathroom seemed pretty ordinary. All in all, it was a nice room to relax on their journey to Orre.

Red was about to drift off when suddenly Leaf bangs on the door that separated the two rooms before entering.

"Wow big brother, there's more room here than our room."

"Well of course sis. You have a two bedroom room while I got the one."

"It is kind of unfair that you get the patio," says Rui.

"Yeah, but I'm kind of tired. I'm going to be here relaxing if you don't mind, so why don't you two explore the rest of the ship."

"Okay big brother."

* * *

"Well since your brother's going to be sleeping in, why don't we go look around for a while?" asks Rui.

"That's fine," Leaf says before promptly grabbing a hold of Rui's waste.

"_I keep forgetting that she's still a little girl. Even with the amount of maturity she's shown she still is a little kid at heart,"_ thinks Rui to herself.

They continued walking until they saw a gang of men circling around a couple of small children.

"What do you think you're doing to those poor children?" Rui screeches at them. The men now distracted give the kids time to hide behind Rui.

The leader turns to regard Rui. "Who do you think you are Miss to interrupt us?"

"Seeing as those kids were scared I think I'm within my right to protect them."

"You won't be saying that after I beat you down." With this he enlarges one of his Pokeballs showing it to them.

"I've seen worse. Let's battle then."

The man looks at the other gang members. "Stand aside so we can battle. I've got to teach this girl a lesson."

"My cousin will show you!" Leaf cries out. "Come on Rui you can do it."

The two of them start glaring at each other.

"Come on out Togekiss/Houndoom!" they called out respectively.

"_Amy I want you to contact Ash and tell him everything," _she says through their Aura connection. _"Tell him to get over here. Things might get dangerous._

"_Alright Rui."_

While she was busy with that, Rui turns and regards her opponent's Houndoom. Her eyes grow wider as she scans her opponent's strength. It was time for her to do her Aura Reading.

"_Aura analysis: its offenses are actually pretty strong. Defenses are sub-par and should be easy to handle. Its speed is actually quite good. Overall level of strength level is mediocre. It shouldn't be too much of a problem."_

She was brought out of her reverie when her opponent starts shouting, "What the hell are you looking at. Houndoom start this off with a Flamethrower."

"Togekiss dodge and follow it up with Aura Sphere." _"I bet Wes would be surprised at me battling so much," _she quietly chuckles to herself.

Houndoom spits out an intense flame that Togekiss gracefully dodges. Togekiss retaliates by firing off its Aura Sphere. It lands squarely in Houndoom's stomach pushing it back.

"What the hell kind of performance was that Houndoom? Use Fire Blast followed by Dark Pulse."

Rui was about to launch another attack, but Leaf interrupts her. "Why do they have to swear so much?"

"Your mom wasn't wrong when she said Orre wasn't a dangerous place. It's one of the things you get used to as you grow older." She turns back to her Togekiss and says, "Dodge and use Wish."

Togekiss again dodges into the sky gracefully as the two attacks pass her by.

"Houndoom!" the man screeches. "Quit missing and fire off a Fire Blast right at them," he says pointing at Rui and the rest of the children.

Houndoom sends blasts out a kanji shaped flame that was stronger than anything they've ever seen. The other children start quivering fiercely. They all huddle up behind her as she stands firm in her spot. Right before the impact, the flame is stopped by a bright blue shield. A man comes out of nowhere with his hat bent at an angle covering off his face. The man was decked with a blue jacket and black gloves. At his side was a Mienshao who was at a deep bow.

"I hope you don't mind I take over this little battle do you?" he asks Rui.

"I would hope not." Rui and the other girls step aside for the man.

"Who do you think you are!" the gang leader says outraged. "What do you think you're do—" his voice trails off as he sees the man closely for the first time. "An Aura Guardian!" The leader starts quaking in his boots.

"Mienshao use Hi Jump Kick followed by Aura Sphere."

Mienshao's feet turn a bright red as it slams its foot into Houndoom's gut. The bluish sphere is fired from its hands and explodes throwing Houndoom and rest of the gang leader's goons off the side of the boat.

The man makes a brief nod along with his partner before leaving.

Rui turns to the other children. "Now why don't we find your families?"

* * *

"So how was your exploration?" Red asks as he starts yawning.

"Oh stop being coy. Well thanks to you we helped out those little kids," says Rui. "We also started a rumor that an Aura Guardian was on board."

"I'd say it was very productive then and I have no idea what you're talking about. I've been here sleeping the entire time," he says with one last yawn.

Suddenly the ship's PA system turns on.

_**Attention all passengers, we will be arriving in Gateon Port in one hour. Please remember to pack up before leaving if this is your destination. **_

"Wow so we have another hour to kill. I didn't even bother unpacking our bags," says Red.

"Well might as well relax for the rest of the trip Leaf."

_Scene_

"Welcome to Gateon Port!"

The minute the three of them got off the boat, Rui spread out her arms to enjoy the atmosphere. Red and Leaf couldn't share that same sentiment as they were beginning to pant.

"I thought this was a port. I don't care if it's by the desert, it should be cooler than this," Leaf complained as she started tired just standing there. Her back was bent down too tired to stand up straight.

Red on the other hand was taking this a bit better, but it didn't stop him from adjusting his collar and grabbing a bottle of water from his bag. "Here Leaf drink up. Cheers!"

The two siblings drank over half their canteens before stopping from Rui's laughing. "Are you kidding? This weather is amazing! It's good to be back."

Red just shook his head a little. "We may have travelled through volcanoes and other deserts, but seriously if it's this hot by the coast then that just screams danger when traversing the desert."

"_Luckily through that extensive training with the Aura, I can regulate my internal temperature control a bit better,"_ he thought.

He then began taking a look around. Gateon Port wasn't that big a place, but it seemed pretty lively. Behind them was the infamous Gateon Lighthouse. There were sounds of a battle taking place, but it was barely an echo from where they were.

Rui deciding to take charge and become their tour guide showed off all the hotspots.

"Over here on my right is the parts shop. It has all of your mechanical needs, which is why we'll be going over there later. We kind of need some sort of transport. Using Pokemon continuously in Orre isn't the brightest idea with the scorching sunlight."

She then points to the lighthouse. "The lighthouse off in the distance is a favorite site for many people. The view is fantastic and I've heard there've been some amazing battles up there before."

She then leads them to the Pokemon Center. "Not many places in Orre has an actual Pokemon Center, but this place does. "

She then points towards their left. "First off is the PokeMart. The special thing here is that there's an herb shop run by an old lady. Just be careful of her Munchlax," she says with a slight giggle.

She then points off a little further into the distance. "Over there is the 'Club Crabby.' It's a famous joint with some fine entertainment usually for sailors who just want to wind down a bit. Leaf if you wanted to get a career in entertainment you might want to start there."

She then takes a dramatic bow. "And that is the Gateon Tour."

Leaf just clapped at her older cousin's antics.

Red coughs to get their attention. "Well we should probably head into the Pokemon Center to check in for the night."

They walked in noticing that there was a second story floor. Red takes charge and walks up to Nurse Joy. "Could we get room for tonight with three beds, or maybe two rooms for us?"

"Not a problem sir," she says with a smile. "Here's your room key. May I ask where you come from, because we don't get that many visitors here."

"We're actually travelling here from Kanto."

"Oh, I see. Wait a second, is that you Rui?" the nurse asks as she can finally make out the orange haired girl.

"Oh, hello Nurse Joy."

"Dear I thought that you travelled with that boyfriend of yours Wes?" she asks.

"We were going to catch up with him later. I'm right now with my family showing them around."

"Well alright then, have a nice day!" she waved off cheerfully as they exited the Pokemon Center.

When they walked a bit further, they could hear signs of a battle.

"Clefable use Reflect."

"Not good enough. Dragonite use Shadow Shed."

They finally made it to the battle. On one side was a black haired trainer with his Clefable. His opponent seemed a lot more interesting. His left arm was attached with some kind of mechanical device.

"Come on big brother you got to win!" cried out a little blue haired girl.

The brother's red hair just didn't match up to his sister's hair tone. He also had some sort of electronic reader.

Red was shaken out of his thoughts when the red haired trainer took apparent notice of Rui. "Oi Rui you're back. Wait hold on a second. Dragonite, finish this with Shadow Rush."

"_What is this? I've never seen a move like that before. And that aura… it reminds me of Togekiss's but it's still darker. Is this what Rui meant by a Shadow Pokemon?"_

He turned towards his sister who was visibly shaking behind her two cousins. _"She must be seeing that dark aura, but what to what extent exactly?"_ He turned to his cousin noticing the unfazed look in her eyes.

Red was interrupted from his thoughts as soon as he heard the cry of the Clefable being knocked out.

"Looks like it's my win," says the red haired trainer. He then turns to regard Rui once more. "I didn't realize you came back yet Rui."

"I just got back Michael, and I thought you already purified Dragonite."

"The machine back at HQ broke down so I have to do it the old fashioned way although your boyfriend will probably yell at me for saying that." He coughs slightly. "Anyways who are your friends?"

"They're my cousins. The one over here is Red while the other one is Leaf."

Michael becomes confused before realizing, "Oh, so you must be Ash and Amelia Ketchum right?"

"How did you know that?" the now uncovered Ash speaks up a little fiercely.

"Ash calm down. I actually told him," says Rui.

"Big brother, who are those people next to Rui?" the little girl besides Michael asks.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce Jovi to you. Say high Jovi."

It looked like the little girl was exuberant about meeting someone her age because she then began talking with Amy in that frantic young girl's speech. It seems that they would be fast friends.

"Say I've heard you're a pretty strong battler. Do you want to battle?" Michael asks Ash.

"Why not?" he says with a smirk.

"One thing, in Orre we like to do Double Battles? You still game."

"That makes this easier than I thought. I actually had to learn how to do Triple Battles before."

Rui tries to get their attention, but she couldn't stop the battle that was about to take place.

"I bet my brother will win." The two little sisters state before vehemently denying the other's accusation before huffing indignantly.

"Ash, are you sure you want to battle him? I know you're good, but he's known as a prodigy for a reason."

"Your cousin's right. I'm the number two battler currently in all of Orre. The one person ranked above me here is her boyfriend Wes, and even then I've won against him before."

"Well let's see if it's all hype compared to a battler who's travelled through the world."

"Ugh… Fine I'll referee. This will be a double battle between Michael and Wes. Each trainer is only allowed their two Pokemon. Begin," Rui says while sighing simultaneously.

"Come on out Jolteon and Dragonite."

"I choose you Pikachu and Swellow."

Dragonite and Jolteon appear in a flash with a fierce smirk plastered on their faces. Pika dives off Ash's shoulder as he sends in his Swellow.

"So we're going for an Electric and Flying type combination huh? Pika jump onto Swellow."

"If you're not going to attack, then I will. Dragonite use Shadow Storm. Jolteon start generating electricity."

The once peaceful port of Gateon became the city of storms. The clouds grew darker as twin black tornadoes descended gathering arcs of electricity around it. The winds picked up causing the waters around them to become restless and wind to pick up blowing back Ash a bit in the process. His Pokemon weren't faring any better as they were gradually being sucked in towards the storm. Jolteon, meanwhile, begins gathering the excess electricity from the storms.

"What power!" Ash breaths out. _"So this is the power of a Shadow Pokemon? I'll have to knock out that Dragonite first then." _"Swellow speed into the center of the two tornadoes!"

Swellow charges in with Pikachu in tow to the ocean waters where the storm was fast approaching them.

"_What in the world could he possibly thinking? It's suicidal!" _Michael starts thinking in his head. The viewers, minus Amy, were thinking the same thing. Amy was smirking knowing what was going next.

"Swellow get out of there. Pika use Counter Shield."

Swellow immediately charges out of the eye of the storm leaving its partner behind. Pikachu begins spinning in midair generating a large electrical storm pushing back the two tornadoes.

"_How the heck is that Pikachu floating in midair?" _"Jolteon use Thunderbolt on that Swellow."

Not wasting the opportunity, Jolteon unleashes a Thunderbolt with twice the speed than usual at Swellow causing it to descend towards the ocean.

"_Amazing. That Shadow Storm was able to withstand a Counter Shield. Well, at least I have my backup plan." _He directs his attention towards Michael. "If you think that little electrical attack will fry my Swellow, then you're very mistaken."

Just as he spoke, Swellow stops its fall instantaneously and charges back up into the sky.

"Now Swellow, fly faster and faster. Use Quick Attack with Agility."

Flying at an incredible speed, Swellow starts flying in a figure-eight formation. The winds from the tornadoes start to gradually lose speed until finally the wind gives away. With that accomplished Pikachu drops onto Swellow's back once more.

"_He made his Swellow fly at a faster rate in the opposite direction to counteract the Shadow Storm while his Pikachu was to prevent the two from converging while giving his Swellow some room to work with. He's not an ordinary trainer; finally, I was getting bored with the lack of skill that can be found in Orre recently." _"Dragonite use Shadow Rush. Jolteon use Thunder Wave."

"Swellow use Double Team and dive underneath Dragonite. Come in with an Aerial Ace into a Brave Bird. Pika use Electro Ball."

Dragonite becomes incased with its shadow Aura and starts to charge straight for its target. Jolteon starts layering the air to slow down its opponents setting its partner up. Swellow splits itself and starts aiming for Dragonite's belly, but the majority of them are caught in the electrical field. The real Swellow somehow manages to get past and delivers a fierce blow for a direct hit. At the same time, Pikachu starts condensing electricity into a sphere and hurls it at the same time. Dragonite falls out of the sky.

"_He completely dodges one of my better combinations without effort. He utilized Double Team to absorb most of the Thunder Wave's effects, the rest which can be absorbed by Pikachu. He then was able to deliver a finishing blow and strengthen that Electro Ball by using Swellow's own speed."_ Michael was brought out of his reverie when his Aura Reader started picking up wild signals.

The rest of the onlookers notice it too. Dragonite was emitting a darker than normal Aura. If the Shadow Aura could be classified under the color purple, then this was reddish taint.

"Ash be careful Dragonite is under Hyper Mode. It won't listen to anybody right now!"

Then a whistle could be heard from the red haired trainer. "Man I was hoping that he'd be done with going under Hyper Mode. I guess Dragonite must have gotten overwhelmed by being thrown aside while using its Shadow moves. I must say to have pushed it that far shows how far as a trainer you are."

"I'd thank you, but I'm more concerned on finishing the job if you don't mind."

"Oh you're frightened that it will become unstable?" he asks. Seeing a nod, he answers, "If it comes to that point then I'll give him this." He holds out a box containing colognes. "These scents naturally calm down Pokemon including a Shadow Pokemon."

"Then if you don't mind I'll make my next move. Swellow drop off Pika."

Swellow drops Pika almost as if it was a parcel right on top of Dragonite's back.

"Pika light her up!"

The electricity strikes Dragonite's unprotected back with twice the damage and nothing could be done about it. The hit was decisive.

"Dragonite is unable to battle."

Michael smiles as he recalls his Dragonite before it could submerge into the ocean's depths. "Finally a challenger has arrived in Orre. Let's show them why we're one of the kings. Jolteon use Double Team."

"Swellow use Hurricane. Pika use Surf."

All along the port line up multiple copies of the electrical fox. In retaliation, a fierce hurricane starts amplifying the ocean waves that start crashing onto the edges of the port effectively knocking out half of the clones.

"A Pikachu on a surfboard using Surf? Not something you see every day but who cares, Jolteon use Thunderbolt."

As one the army of Jolteon's let off an electrical attack that pierces through all of the waves. Swellow comes to Pikachu's rescue before it could fall into the ocean.

"Now let's show him one of our ace moves. Jolteon use V-Thunder!"

Electricity of the highest caliber was being concentrated and became released at a bent angle almost hitting its opponent. The attack kept flying straight into the stormy clouds.

"You missed," says Amy.

"No there's something more to that right?" Ash asks.

Michael responds with a smirk.

Out of the sky two bolts of lightning come forth. One strikes Swellow and Pikachu from the back while the other lands directly onto Jolteon. Both hit at twice the speed than when it was sent out.

"V-Thunder is a special move that will hit the target on their blind spots while at the same time hitting Jolteon here to activate its own ability Volt Absorb."

"Heh, that's impressive but watch this." Ash then points his finger directly above himself aiming at his two Pokemon.

"There it is Thunder Armor!" Amy cries out.

The golden armor once more surrounds the fierce combination with a metallic shine. The two of them have their eyes glistening.

"I've got to admit that V-Thunder of yours was nice, but thanks to you we can now show off one of our moves without the hassle of setting up. Now Swellow use Double Team."

"_He's going to try to spam the field with super powered abilities. Not going to happen."_ "Jolteon use Magnetic Compass."

As soon as the golden birds try to dive in on their prey, they become suspended in midair unable to move.

"_It's a small area-wide effect huh?" _"Swellow get out of there."

The order was given out just in time as all of the Double Teams instantly get erased by a projectile encased with electricity. The real Swellow and Pikachu pair barely avoid it.

"Now you're probably wondering how this just happened?" Michael asks. Seeing the nod, he answers, "This attack utilizes three main moves: Discharge, Thunder Wave, and Pin Missile."

"Let me guess, you used Discharge to create a field and that field uses the effects of Thunder Wave. Then once the Pokemon gets trapped you use Pin Missile and because of the electrical field it becomes encased with hints of electricity itself. Am I right?"

"Man you're good. I haven't had this much fun in a while."

"I agree. Swellow dive in for the attack. Use Quick Attack followed by Aerial Ace. Pikachu prep an Electro Ball."

"That won't work on me twice. Jolteon jump."

As soon as the aerial combo was about to strike, Jolteon somehow manages to jump right above them in less than a second.

"Now use Double Kick and then Body Slam."

Jolteon all in one motion kicks Pikachu off of its ride and then effortlessly Body Slams Swellow into the ground. As soon as Jolteon got off, everybody could see the swirls in Swellow's eyes.

"Swellow is unable to battle."

Ash then silently recalls his Pokemon. Then after a few seconds he starts grinning. "So this is the caliber of the trainers of Orre? I'm glad I finally came."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Yeah, it's kind of a cliffhanger but I felt that the length in chapters would be off so I cut it off there. Sorry…**

**Here are some personal thoughts: The anime gets a lot of criticism for Ash getting dumb after each region (which I won't deny) and losing a ton of skills. It's just people don't realize that Ash still has one very strong aspect (and I do not mean his kindness or anything like that). It's that he's consistently one of, if not the best at field manipulation. So to any of you writers thinking about OC Ash, feel free to include that one aspect that still remains shining underneath the denseness that is Ash. Anyone else agree on that sentiment?**

**As always, any thoughts, comments, or suggestions please feel free to leave a review. I actually left Dragonite as the last Shadow Pokemon just in case maybe I wanted to go in a small arc about cleanup with Cypher or something…**

**See you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliations. I only own the OC's and the plot.**

**Reference: ****_"thought/Aura speech"_****/ ****_'_****Pokemon speech'/ "speech" **

**Author's Notes: Well I had a bit of a case of writer's block. I still made it out in a month which is my usual standard so I guess not much to worry about. That said enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

_Outskirt Stand_

Outskirt Stand was a lonely place cut off from most of Orre except for maybe Phenac City. Located in the southeastern part of the desert it is probably the closest thing to edge of the Orre border. Made up of old locomotors, the small gasoline station/diner setup was a welcoming place for all sorts of people. Known to all of Orre for being the best place to buy any of the rarer types of Pokeballs, it has made a name for itself and has become one of the many landmark places trainers travel around to in Orre.

"Oi straggler what can I do for you? It's been a while since the King himself has shown up here," asks the barman.

"Nothing. Was just cruising on through when I decided to stop by here," says the person now known as the King. "Anything interesting happening?"

"Why don't ya turn to that there screen? There's an interesting battle takin' place right now. Our boy Mike is battling someone and your girl seems to be the referee."

The King looked towards the TV to his right.

"_This is the ONBS here reporting live here today at Gateon Port. A battle of epic proportions is currently under way as the prodigy himself is battling an unknown trainer. Currently the two trainers are in a deadlock tie, but who will turn out to be the victor? Stay tuned and find out."_

"It looks to me that our boy might be losing to that there raven haired fella."

"This will be interesting. Let's see how long you'll last next to the prodigy."

* * *

_Gateon Port_

"Come on Michael!" roars the crowd. It seemed that the battle has caught the interest of everyone there as everyone was chanting for the victory of their beloved Michael. Even the Orre news broadcast had come along and started recording.

"I hope you don't mind Red, but a battle like this will cause this kind of reaction don't you think," Michael says. "It seems that they don't want me to lose this battle."

"_Well at least he said Red instead of Ash. I didn't plan on the media finding out about us especially so soon."_ "Are you some kind of champion here?"

"Quite the observation there. I'm sort of a co-champion in these parts, but officially I'm the number two trainer in Orre. The fact that you've been pressuring me this far has got the crowds excited."

Now that the Orre crowd finally heard the name of this unknown trainer, some of them started cheering for him. "Come on Red!"

"_Jeez, for once could I see a battle without the people flocking towards us?"_ thought Rui. "Hey you two could you hurry and get back to the battle."

"Ugh… fine then Jolteon use Quick Attack."

"Pika counter it with your own Quick Attack."

The two Electric types meet up in the center and smash heads against each other. Neither gives an inch until they eventually jump back.

"So I guess they're even," comments Red.

"Not exactly," Michael says. Everyone's attention turns towards him. "It's true that the attacks were even, but it's plain to see that while my Jolteon has the clear advantage of speed, your Pikachu makes up for that more power."

"Well in that case, Pika use Thunderbolt. You know what to do."

As Pikachu starts crackling with electricity, Michael asks the question everyone's thinking, "Why would you attack with electricity? Surely you know about Jolteon's ability?"

"Volt Absorb will do not a thing."

"Say what?"

The electricity bursts from Pikachu uplifting the terrain into several large chunks of land. The terrain chunks then get sent towards Jolteon.

"_He destroyed the land to create projectiles. What kind of person would do that?" _"Jolteon dodge."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you. Pikachu use Iron Tail."

As soon as Jolteon leaps away from the onslaught, it gets slammed into the ground before anyone could even react. Pikachu jumps off with it with a victorious smile.

"Just because Jolteon is normally faster means nothing to us. Pika is probably one of the few Pokemon out there that can go beyond their natural and physical limitations. This is nothing. Pika use Surf."

Pikachu then starts surfing on top of the large wave ready to submerge the still down Jolteon.

"You say that, yet it was more of ingenuity if anything. Now I see it. You've trained your Pokemon to be independent and to use moves like Double Team and Substitute. Jolteon essentially got hit by a surprise and nothing more. Even if your Pikachu is special enough since it can use Surf it doesn't mean my Jolteon is out of the count. Jolteon use Magnetic Compass once more."

Before the wave could crush it, Jolteon activated its Magnetic Compass completely freezing the Surf from reaching it.

"_He completely nullified Pika's Surf. That electrical field is stronger than I thought, but this should do the trick." _"Pika switch into a Brick Break."

The wave dissipates and instead Pika comes swinging down with its arm glowing white.

"That's useless. The Magnetic Compass will just suspend your attack."

"Pika spin now."

"Say what?"

Pikachu changes its descent to a spiral with now both of its arms utilizing Brick Break. The electricity arching around the field starts to swirl around Pikachu's body adding even more power.

"_He added more power by stealing the electrical field, but even if that were true, how is the field being absorbed at this high rate. Either way this won't be the end." _"Jolteon use Electric Missile."

Pinpoint electric needles strike down the incoming mouse only for it to disappear.

"_Wait a second, that was just a clone!" _"Jolteon look out."

Jolteon could only turn around as it finally noticed its true enemy behind him. Once more Jolteon gets slammed downward.

"We won't go down without a fight. Bite his tail and swing him along with you."

Before fully dropping, Jolteon quickly latches onto Pikachu's tail and swings him downward crashing him into the ground before promptly fainting. That final hit also caused Pikachu to finally succumb to its pain.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle. This match ends in a draw!" announces Rui.

Lots of awestruck faces were seen around from the gathering crowd. One by one the crowd starts roaring in improvement along with a thunderous clapping. "This guy actually made Michael draw. I've never seen that before." "Whoa, this guy is amazing." "So this guy's name is Red huh?" "Wait to go Red!" "Nice work as well Michael."

As Michael returns his Jolteon, Red walks up to Pikachu and then lets him rest in Leaf's arms. Pikachu yawns lightly before falling asleep due to Leaf's small petting.

Finally breaking the silence, Michael walks up to them along with Jovi. "That was a nice battle. Hope to do this again sometime," he says before clasping his hands together with Red's.

"Same here. Same here."

"Now that that's settled, why can't we just go back to the Pokemon Center? It's already getting late," says Rui.

"Okay then, Jovi we're heading back to HQ. Before you go, Rui have you discussed travelling arrangements yet?"

"Well sort of."

"Well then first off follow me guys."

* * *

_Outskirt Stand_

"_You saw it here today folks. Orre's resident prodigy himself Michael was pushed into a corner by this unknown trainer who we now know goes under the name Red. But let it be said that the final conclusion was a draw. This newcomer obviously has some skills if he was to effectively take on to a standstill one of our co-champions. Can we expect more to come from this new trainer? And what does our other champion think of this revelation? Only time will tell."_

"So what'd you think of that performance?" asks the barman.

"I think a new era in Orre's story has just begun," the King answers. Without another word, he left.

"Always the same, that one there," the barman says to himself.

* * *

_Gateon Port- Mechanics Shop_

"Old man you there?" Michael yells out into the shop as the gang starts walking in. "I've brought some customers."

"Oh if isn't our dear Michael and his sister Jovi. How are you two doing? Oh and I see the Queen of Orre is here herself as well. This is a sight to behold."

"Queen of Orre?" Red asked quietly to Rui with a questioning glance.

"You'll find out sooner or later why I'm called that," she answers back.

"Anyways," the shopkeeper paused, "who are these two people that I don't recognize. Surely they aren't ordinary people if they've caught the attention of two of the three of the Orre legends."

"Right as usual old man. This here is Red and his little sister Leaf. If you saw the battle outside, then you know this one's powerful."

"Yes indeed; so sir," looking towards Red, "how may I be of service?"

"We need some transportation. Michael says you can hook us up with some."

"Oh I've got just the thing please wait here." He turned to regard Michael. "Michael is yours in need of a repair?" Michael shakes his head. "Very well, please wait here a moment while I get it out for you."

While they were waiting, the group started conversing once more.

"So what's the whole deal?" asks Michael. "I get that you want to travel around a bit and stop by and see your gramps, but Orre doesn't offer much for tourists. Why are you going to stick around?"

"Rui told me that there are some of the fiercest competitions here. I decided that this would be a perfect place to battle and train. That and we could use an identity. Travelling across Unova, I think they were starting to get suspicious when we didn't have any city we were associated to."

"You never told me that," Rui piques up.

"Truth be told, they didn't really care too much since we were on vacation but still. People were more concerned about this fad that was going on. Apparently a group called Team Plasma was convincing people to set their Pokemon free for the liberty of Pokemon. I thought their arguments were unfounded but I didn't stick around that long to see the results."

"Wow that's some interesting group. Well, if you're looking for citizenship or something for your names Red then head over to HQ sometime. I could hook you up with something. Anything else you planning on?"

"Training for my little sister, she's been getting a head start on everyone else. She could be the next generation prodigy if I say so myself," Red beams up with pride.

"Interesting, if you need any help I could help out with that."

It was then that the shop keeper came back. He was riding a hover scooter towards them.

"Here you are sir. Hope you like it."

Red seemed conflicted, "Is there any form of payment I need to give?"

The man just laughed it off. "No sir, if you're friends with these two then it's free of charge. I owe them more than that."

"Remind me to ask y'all what you guys did to get so famous besides being the champion," Red says quietly to Rui. Clearing his throat, he says, "Thank you sir."

"Alright, you're welcome back anytime you need repairs you hear."

As they left the building, Red asks, "I thought Orre citizens were more conservative than that."

"It's all part of the story," Rui and Michael chime.

"Well anyways it's time for me to head back. I'll get back here early though," Michael says whilst walking away with his sister.

Looking at the approaching sunset, Rui says, "Well it's time to get some rest. I'm sure you're tired from today."

With that they head towards the Pokemon Center.

* * *

It was late at night. The moon was shining brilliantly over the region. It is during this time that we find Red leaning against the balcony of their room.

"First day in Orre and we've already tied against one of the champions Pika. Do you think this is going to be good luck for the rest of the way?"

'Pika Pikachu Pikapi.'

"Yeah you're right. Alright night Pika."

'Pika.'

* * *

The morning after they all met up with Michael at the exit of Gateon Port.

"I was thinking that you might need this," Michael says as he throws something into Red and Leaf's hands.

"Thanks but what is it?" Leaf asks.

"It's your P*DA, or Pokemon Digital Assistant. You're going to need one if you plan on staying in Orre for a while."

Red just looks confused. "Why would I need one if I have both this," here he raises his Pokedex, "and this?" he asks now lifting up his Pokegear.

"First off it functions as an important tool for communication. Most people prefer to communicate via e-mails so if you want to fit in you'll probably need one. Second, it has other important functions including radar. I've also taken the time to get some improvements which include a map of Orre."

"Is there any way to transfer my data to this thing then?"

"That's why I suggest you follow me to Pokemon HQ Laboratory," he says while tapping on the screen. "Like I said earlier, we can set you up. Also…" he trailed off a bit as he yanked the device from Red's hands and started attaching it to the hover scooter. "There, this should now work like your own personal GPS."

"Alright, so to Pokemon HQ huh?" he said while tapping the screen. A big orange dot with a cursor showed their current location under Gateon Port. It then started tracing steps to the destination labeled Pokemon HQ Laboratory. Red looked visibly impressed. "Rui, how are you going to get there?"

"I'm going with Michael."

They soon clamber onto their hover scooters. Michael and Red were both driving while the two girls hooked up their arms around their respective driver's waste.

"Wish these things had seats," Rui muttered to herself.

"Race you there!" Michael calls off as he immediately dashes out of there leaving only a trail of dust in his wake.

Stopping himself from face palming, Red sighs. "Doesn't he realize we still don't know the terrain of this place? Leaf send out your Riolu."

"What for brother?"

"We still might get lost out in the desert and Riolu might help us navigate a bit better with the use of Aura. I'd prefer to use Lucario, but he won't be able to fit now that two people are on this thing."

"Sure thing big brother. Riolu come on out."

The small blue jackal appeared right behind Leaf.

"Okay then we're off."

* * *

"_This desert heat is starting to get to me,"_ Red sighed as he vainly tried to find where Pokemon HQ is. _"It looks like sis is holding up but we're still lost."_ He looks at his Pokegear. _"It's a shame that there is no signal. I guess even a phone meant for trainers isn't used to a whole region being pretty much desert."_

It's been three hours since they've departed Gateon and our resident siblings have found themselves stranded in the desert. Not for a lack of fuel but rather a lack of motivation to aimlessly wander around further. Their P*DAs weren't helping at all. The map was of no use seeing as the only landmarks they could find was endless sand and stones.

"_Garchomp still hasn't returned yet which means we're stuck here for a while.__ I still don't know how we ended up in the desert if the road to HQ was supposedly only grassy lands and hills. I guess the P*DA's new features were being tested."_

"Big brother is there any more water left?" his sister drearily asked.

"You can have the rest," he says not being able to stand having his sister grow thirsty. He hands her the remainder of the canteen, but even that is soon eventually drained up.

Not wanting his sister to get anymore down he says, "Why don't we work on some more Aura training? It might help cool you down from all the heat."

Seeing his sister nod, he continues, "Now from what I've learned about using Aura in relation to the body is that it can reinforce itself directly or indirectly on/around the body. For example, Lucario come over here will you."

Lucario who was sitting in a meditative position next to a sleeping Pikachu calmly walks over. Pikachu sensing some movement perks up seeing Lucario move and goes to follow him.

"Okay Leaf now here's an example. You use your Aura to focus the eye and mind to see things most people can't. Lucario here is actually a better example. Lucario use Extremespeed."

Lucario quickly dashes from one side to another.

"Now though Lucario use Aura Enforcement followed by another Extremespeed."

Lucario again does a repeat performance only that there was a noticeable increase in speed. It also seemed Lucario was less tired.

"Now can you answer why Lucario seems faster than before?"

"Lucario's body was enhanced which makes it go faster than normal."

Red nods his head. "Yes, the Aura does help in that regard. Can you tell me what else it's doing? I'll give you a hint. It's the explanation on why Lucario isn't tired."

Leaf ponders over this for a bit, yet she is unable to draw any conclusions.

Red answers for her. "Lucario's Aura is able to lessen the effects of indirect variables such as wind resistance. I also believe that it acts as a cooling agent in that it is like a screen against heat. This is what I'm hoping to achieve with you while we're stuck here for who knows how long."

They then began mediating on the desert floor alone passing the time.

After thirty minutes elapsed, Lucario breaks their silent meditation.

"_Master, I've come to report that an unknown Aura is coming this way."_

"_Thank you Lucario." _"Leaf someone's approaching. We need to stop for now, but be on your toes."

"Hey big brother, isn't that rock a good place to hide?"

"Good thinking sis."

The two of them along with Pikachu and the two Aura jackals waited patiently for any signs of strangers.

Suddenly the desert floor started vibrating as sand started to get blown to the sides. A large, red hover truck passed them by and started moving to an unknown location.

"Well that's the closest we'll get to civilization. We need to trail them." Red then looked into the sky. A blue blur was coming this way. "Perfect timing, Garchomp did you find anything?" It shook his head. "Oh well, we found some vehicle that passed us by. We're going to trail it. Garchomp return." He then looked at his sister. "Okay guys lets go."

* * *

"Hey sis I just remembered," Red said as they finally reached their unknown destination. They were currently at some building, hiding behind some fencing so as to go undetected. "Didn't Michael say that the P*DA could be used for e-mails?" he said as he tried to see what those weird guys were doing. Six men dressed in a crude fashion state. They were all wearing a uniform with a specific color. He was trying to be inconspicuous in case they saw him.

"Okay I got it." _"Let's see. How do you work this thing?" _she mused. _"Okay here's the list of contacts and then—ah, here's his e-mail. Okay then…"_

* * *

_Pokemon HQ Laboratory_

"I thought you said they would be here by now," Rui said as she impatiently tapped her foot angrily at Michael.

"Well, I guess that race wasn't that smart of an idea."  
He was interrupted from his thoughts when his P*DA started ringing.

"It's from Leaf," he said.

"Give it here," Rui demanded as she snatched the hand-held device from Michael's hands. Her maternal instincts were on alert as she realized that her little cousin might be in trouble. Sure she knew that Ash and Amy were capable people, especially Ash, but Amy was still a different story. A young girl stranded in the desert only caused her to panic more. It was because she took it to heart to protect her ever since that moment back when she noted that Amy held onto her tightly back on the cruise.

**_-This is Leaf. Hopefully this gets to you. Big brother and I are stuck hiding behind some building away from these six creepy guys dressed up in clown suits. We followed one of them from their red hover truck. Do you know these people and do you think you can find us?-_**

After reading over Rui's shoulders, Michael slams his fist together into a clap.

"I know where to go. I'll go on my own so I can get there in time," he says before taking back his P*DA and jumping onto his scooter before Rui could yell in protest.

"He better get there in time," Rui said ruefully.

* * *

_Shadow Pokemon Laboratory_

"Hey guys I think I heard some movement from back there," said the somewhat leader of the Hexagon brothers Resix.

The six of them walk over and find the two siblings.

"Look who we have here guys," Resix taunted, "two stragglers who don't know what they're doing here."

"He don't look so tough," laughs the guy in yellow.

"If you want to get out of here, you're going to have to battle your way out of freedom."

Red's face smirked slightly hearing that. He speaks up. "How about I beat all six of you and leave whenever I want."

"You're asking for it kid. Go Macargo." The other wannabe clowns started tossing out their own Pokemon.

"Okay then sis we're going to do a little training exercise." He turns to the six of them. "I guess Orre predicaments aren't the standard fight huh. Well then we'll do a two-on-six. Pika let's go," he says while letting his buddy leap off his arms.

"Pichu, I choose you."

"They think they can battle us," Greesix laughs.

* * *

_15 minutes later…_

"Hey guys what are doing?" asked Michael now riding in on his scooter.

Red looked up and saw Michael. He dusted off his hands of some sand. "Well we just finished beating up some trash you see."

The six members of the Hexagon brothers could all be seen on the floor writhing in pain underneath their Pokemon.

"It's just one big dog pile!" cheered Leaf rather uncharacteristically.

"Anyways," Michael coughed, "let's head back to HQ before Rui kills me. She's been worried sick."

* * *

They finally arrived at HQ much to the relief of a worried Rui.

"Thank goodness you guys are all right," she said.

"It was fine; we got some training done," her cousin answered.

"Wait, those six trash were considered training?" asks a now confused Michael.

The others didn't bother to clarify. They didn't feel the need to reveal their Aura arts yet at any rate.

"Okay then," Michaels says with a slight cough to break the awkward silence, "weren't you two going to register here," he says while walking into the Laboratory.

The three of them followed him inside. Pokemon HQ was definitely a site to behold.

"Welcome to HQ you guys," Michael says with a wave of his arms.

"Big brother you're back!" says Jovi as she bursts in and hugs her brother.

"Hey kiddo, how are you doing?" he responds while ruffling her.

She just shakes her way out of her brother's grasp.

"Hey sis can you go tell Mom and tell her we have our guests?" he asks. His sister nods her head and takes a lift up.

"Anyways," he says, "while Mom gets here why don't I give you a tour of the place?" The two siblings nod. "Well great follow me guys."

Let it not be said that Pokemon HQ was small. Pokemon HQ Laboratory was one of the most notable labs in the regions. This was because unlike most laboratory that focused on having land for trainer's Pokemon, it also functioned as having several dormitories built into the main lab that were connected to each other.

"This to our left is where my dorm is. Most of the people who work here also live here since this there isn't really anywhere else to go," he shrugged. "The rooms in HQ are pretty spaced out since most of us live where we work. There are beds in most offices since our room is where we work and where we sleep."

"There sure are a lot of people living here then," says Leaf.

"Well, it isn't like there's any village in this city," the red head laughs. "Anyways to my right you'll see Jovi's room."

Upon entrance they saw two cute little electric types bouncing upon beds of their respective colors. They were a Plusle and Minun duo. The Minun runs towards Michael and jumps into his arms.

"Hey Mimi, how are you doing?" he asks the little electric type.

'Maimaii'

"Glad to see you two Mimi." The Minun known as Mimi then starts to hide behind his head as it sees the two other Electric types following the Ketchum siblings. "Oh those guys, don't worry they're friends Mimi." In response to this, Pichu and Pikachu wave with a small jolt coming off their cheeks. Mimi seems to calm down and does the same.

"As you can tell these our kind of our joint Pokemon," Michael says. They then walk into the next room. This room seems to be completely different than most of the rooms they saw already. "Welcome to my room guys."

The room was bigger than most of the rooms that they've already seen. There was a large bed off to the side. There was a research desk filled with books and a PC. There were also several drawers around. Hanging down from the ceiling were some model planes. There was also a mini basketball net hanging pretty high up in the room on the wall.

"Yep this place is pretty sweet," he says as he grabs a small Pokeball plush and shoots it into the net.

"How come you get this huge room?" Leaf asks.

"Well, I'm the famous prodigy of this place," he says looking triumphant until Rui smacks his head knocking his ego back down. "Anyways, let's continue the tour," he says.

They met a girl with a Kirlia by her side in one of the other rooms. That room also contained the standard setup except that there were several certificates along the wall and trophies adorning her bookshelf.

"Why does she have so many awards in there?"

"Honestly I don't know," Michael says. "I think that some of them are hers, but I also think that some of them belong to the HQ. This place is pretty famous in its own rights along with the people here.

They then one by one entered the elevator tube up.

"Now that is one heck of an elevator," comments Red to himself.

Unbeknownst to him, Rui overheard him. "You know if you like that try the one in Realgam Tower. That thing is insane."

They walked down the hallway a bit until Michael stopped them at a door to their right.

"This right here is our coffee room. It's where most of us relax and listen to the news," he says pointing at the huge TV at the far end of the room. It was connected to really large speakers.

They walked down further and saw a room to their right. "This is Adon's room. He's a pretty close friend of mine and he keeps Jovi from getting bored. He's pretty much a daycare for the little children in HQ when people are busy."

They then walked on towards a room on the left. It was fairly spacious, but not as much stuff as compared to Michael's. There was a man on his computer who turned around to greet them once he heard the noise.

"Well if isn't Michael and Rui along with some guests."

"Hey Datan, sorry we're just passing through your room real quick."

"No problem."

They walked through the other door which was adjacent to the other half of the lab. By the desk was a man along with woman.

"Hey Mom," he greets her.

"Oh Michael your back," she says. "Your sister just came and told me. Lovely to see you again Rui." She then looks towards the two siblings. "These must be our guests. Hello my name is Lily. You probably know my two kids already. Pleasure to meet you."

"It's a pleasure as well," they murmur back in response.

She then introduces the Professor. "This is Prof. Krane. He'll be the ones to get you situated."

"Yes, it is very welcoming to have you two here. I just saw that battle you had against Michael on ONBS. That was very impressive."

"Thank you sir," Red says.

"Yes, so I hear that you are registering to gain citizenship here in Orre. Would you please sign these papers Ash and Amy?"

The two siblings both look at Rui who coughs uncomfortably. "Well I might have told them too. It was for the best."

They sighed but did as was told.

"Next could you give me any of your devices so I can upload your data and then upgrade it?"

Ash and Amy hand their P*DAs along with Ash's Pokedex and both of their Pokegears.

Prof. Krane then took a small adapter from the P*DAs and uploaded both of their data into their device. He hands back there things. "Here we are. I've even fixed the bug with your maps that I saw. You are now officially Orre trainers under the names of Red and Leaf."

The two of them look at each other and nod their heads. It was finally done. They are officially now a part of their new homes.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Well so Black/White2 came out in Japan and I hear that it's coming up in a few months globally. There's going to be so many new ideas to for battling both in the games and for fanfiction writing so that's going to be interesting. (I was actually slowed down because I was getting into all the new metagame trends.)**

**Now onto an important matter, since everyone knows that Orre region stories are extremely uncommon (since Colosseumshipping is pretty underrated as well) which leaves me with very few ideas to work with. At this point I can do pretty much whatever, so along with your reviews could you leave some ideas. If not the update might take even longer just to gather some original ideas. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliations. I only own the OC's and the plot.**

**Reference: ****_"thought/Aura speech"_****/ ****_'_****Pokemon speech'/ "speech" **

**Author's Notes: Well since I figured telling the entire story of Orre would be rather boring, I decided that I would just skip it considering that if you're reading an Orre fic than you have probably already played the games. The only major differences between Orre storylines is obviously Michael has met both past Orre legends.**

* * *

The gang was in a meeting room relaxing a bit after getting the two siblings registered.

"Okay Ash I think it's time that we told our stories. If you're going to Grandpa's place then you'll definitely need to know this," says Rui. "It all started a couple years ago when…"

* * *

It was evening now after both Rui and then Michael finished their stories. Everyone now was heading off to bed. Ash and Amy were both given their own rooms. It was built in a similar manner as that of Michael's family. Ash had the distinction of having his own room while Amy's room consisted of two beds which one of them was taken by Rui.

"_So many things happened here,"_ Ash thought in wonder. _"Even Grandpa is pretty famous around these parts and we didn't have a clue." _He continued to stare into the ceiling. _"This region has so many stories to tell, yet they're not even noticed by the other five regions. It's like it is a whole other place separated by everything. I wonder if it's okay just barging in." _He stopped his train of thought after that._ "No this is a part of us now. Our family has never been this close to being united than it is now. I'll prove I can make my own legacy here as well."_

With these thoughts, he drearily closed his eyes succumbing to the inevitable sleep.

* * *

"It looks like your sister is a natural battler huh," Michael comments. The three of them were watching Amy's battle inside the virtual simulator.

On the screen was Amy against a computer generated AI. It was Amy with a Salamence against the AI's Metagross.

"Salamence finish this off with an Earthquake!"

The giant blue dragon crash landed on the ground finishing off the Metagross.

The three of them watched as she exited the virtual chamber and skipped towards them.

"Jovi's going to be mad that she's going to have to catch up to you," Michael says with a small laugh.

"That was nothing; brother makes things much harder when we were travelling," Amy replies back.

"You've been training your sister two years before you even had to?" Michael asks.

"I decided it'd be a good start. She already has a good set of Pokemon with her, so the extra hand would make things easier down the road."

"Anyways we should get going," says Rui. "I wanted get there before lunch. Michael, are you going too?"

The red head shook his head. "I've got to do some things for the Lab. I need to finish up some research and finish purifying that Dragonite."

"Well then guys," she says looking at her cousins. "Let's go."

* * *

"Now how come I have to be flying over there," Red grumbled to himself. Rui took it upon herself to drive Amy to Agate Village not trusting his sense of direction. Since there wasn't enough space, he was forced to fly on top of Garchomp and trail after them.

It only took a couple minutes to arrive at the village of Agate. While the girls pulled up along the edge of the village, Red jumped off of his Garchomp while recalling it back to his Pokeball.

"Welcome the beautiful village of Agate. It's the most serene place in the entire region."

"This place completely contradicts the desert setting," comments Red while looking backwards towards the desert.

"Where's Grandpa and Grandma," Leaf asks while lightly pulling on Rui's jacket.

"It's this way follow me."

Agate Village was the most old-fashioned place in the region, yet there was nobody who would change a thing. The village, which could be compared to Azalea Town of the Johto region, was a place which is located on the western border of Mt. Battle. Here many people choose to live their days of retirement. It is because of this many trainers choose to visit to gain wisdom from these elderly who back in the day were formally known as the ace trainers.

The village itself was built around the steady river that has provided for the lush environment. Since its backbone was the river, the town has several bridges and inclines so that they could travel across the town without hindering the flow of water. This system has allowed many of the trees to grow and become what is the structural support that makes up most of the housing.

The other most important aspect of Agate Village was that deep within the forest lies the central most important thing to all the residents of Agate. Similar to Ilex Forest, within the Relic Forest was the shrine to Celebi, otherwise known as the Relic Stone.

The three of them walked up the several inclines and passageways until finally coming to a stop at what could be said as the center and the largest place in Agate Village.

"Grandpa we're home," says Rui while entering in. The three of them entered into a house filled with a delicious smell.

"Oh deary you're back," says there Grandma. "Your grandfather should be arriving back home soon. Now may I ask who these two are?"

The Ketchum siblings stood there awkwardly not knowing how to tell her. Rui sighed and then spoke up on their behalf. "Grandma these are my cousins and your other grandchildren."

"Well I'm so sorry for not recognizing you dearies. Welcome to our home," she says while pulling the two of them into an affectionate hug.

After the introductions, they were about to begin eating lunch. That was until the door opened and an elderly man entered the premise. Almost immediately, Rui stood up and hugged him.

"Grandpa you're back!" she said while still hugging him. She then tenderly let go of Eagun as they headed back to the dining room.

"Oh we have Rui and some guests over," he said chuckling lightly. He carefully examined the two Ketchum siblings before responding. "I see two more of my grandchildren have decided to come home," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

The two immediately got up and hugged him. Letting go of Eagun, Amy asks, "How did you recognize us?"

Eagun gave off a hearty chuckle. "Why Amy it's because your father visited us with you two when you were still but just two years old. The blood of Sir Ronin is embedded deeply within you two especially…" he trailed off looking towards Ash. _"The amount of Aura flowing around him is far stronger than anyone I've ever seen. He's just like his father in that regard."_ He cleared his throat and began to sit down and asked, "So are we just going to keep talking or are we going to actually eat?"

They all began to eat. The rejoined family then started up a light conversation.

"So I've heard about your little accomplishments Ash or should I say Red," Eagun say while Ash looks completely shocked. "I've watched the many reports whenever I got a chance."

"I didn't think they broadcasted from the other regions that much in Orre," he said confused.

"Normally you would be right, but I'm privy to many league records and data since I'm the president of the Orre Colosseum. You are taking the Colosseum challenge right Ash?"

"I've never heard about it," he said while looking towards Rui.

"They created the Colosseum challenge after both Michael and Wes held the title of champion in Grandpa's own Orre Colosseum. It's similar to the regional league challenges you've competed in."

"Yes," said Eagun. "It was decided that we would be formalizing the challenge after many trainers decided to challenge our co-champions for their crown. It works like this. There are Colosseums spread out across the region. To enter one you must qualify by being a strong enough trainer. Should you manage to beat all three Colosseums and have a high enough record to be recommended, you will be granted the task of battling in the Orre Colosseum which I happen to run. Only the best of the best can ever compete in there and the only people to ever win and defend the title are Wes and Michael."

"Wow big brother, are you going to try it?" Amy asked.

"How do I start then?" was his response.

"First, most people would start off by competing in the Phenac Stadium and winning there. Next, people will most likely go towards Pyrite Town and compete there. Then finally they compete in Realgam Tower. After you beat those three Colosseums you'll be given the invitation towards the Orre Colosseum."

Everyone at the table could just feel how pumped Ash was but he was still able to refrain from yelling something clichéd like he used to when he was younger.

After they got through lunch, Eagun spoke up. "How would you two like to visit the Relic Stone? I'm sure Rui would love to give you a tour of Agate."

"That's fine with me. Okay guys lets go. We'll be seeing you later Grandpa and Grandma."

After bidding their goodbyes they headed out of the door.

"Okay guys then follow me," Rui spoke up.

They passed through several buildings including the local Daycare Center. They eventually walked down a low incline that headed towards the entrance of the cave. There was a young man win a yellow shirt with blue overalls standing in front of it.

The man halted them from entering until he noticed Rui. "Ah Rui, it's nice to see you again. Who are these with you?"

"Oh sorry. These are my cousins Red and Leaf. Grandfather said they were cleared to visit here."

"Oh okay then. Please excuse me then."

The man stepped towards the side while the three continued onwards.

"I forgot to tell you guys that the Relic Cave is only allowed to be visited by certified people. Luckily for us, Grandfather is pretty much the authority for all things that happen in Agate. Anyways guys you're in for a treat," Rui said as they slowly walked into the dark cave.

They walked in silence entering the dark space until suddenly the tunnel was lit in a luminescent glow.

"Whoa it's so pretty in here," breathed Leaf as she took in her surroundings. The cave was very bright with hidden glow arising all around the cavern. The soft flowing sound of the mini river that flows through the place gave off a serene feel to it. The river itself was glowing also lighting up the moss that surrounded the entire cave and parts of the root structures of plants growing all around. It was truly a sight to behold.

"The Relic Cave truly is breathtaking, but come on guys here's the best part."

The trio walked on still marveling at the beauty around them. The crossed the short distance and entered what could be said a realm of beauty and wonder.

"Guys welcome to the sacred ground known as the Relic Forest.

The entire place gave off a calming aura that any of their worries and troubles just washed away from them. The silent breeze flowing through the trees gave off a noise that radiated calmness.

"So this is the ground that was blessed by Celebi?" asked Red. "I can feel its presence somewhere."

Indeed nostalgia was running through Red's being as he remembered the meeting he had with Celebi all those years ago with the younger Sam Oak.

"What's that big stone there Rui?" asked Amy as she pointed towards an oddly shaped structure.

"This is the Relic Stone. It's one of the few things that can purify the hearts of Pokemon like Michael's Dragonite. It's said that Celebi once emerged here long ago allowing Pokemon to remember their playful spirits before their hearts were sealed away. In fact…" she trailed off as she threw out two Pokeballs. Out of a burst of light, Togekiss took flight flying in circles above the Relic Stone. The other Pokemon was just waiting by her master in calm, deep meditative position.

"Medicham and Togekiss here were once Pokemon that were purified by this stone's power. Knowing them they feel the aura around us better than anyone."

"Then where's Celebi?" asked Leaf. She desperately wanted to see the legendary Pokemon.

"Actually that reminds me of your gift to me from a while back." Rui then began to take out something from her bag. Red and Leaf both gasped suddenly recalling what it was. It was the crystallized Time Flute they created.

"I hope you were right when you say it could summon Celebi. Actually I think you should do the honors Red," she said as she put the flute into his hands.

"Why me?" he asked. "I thought that was our gift to you. You should be the one to play it."

"I don't think so," she said with a small smile. "I've been thinking. Since this isn't a genuine Time Flute since it is not made of wood rather but your Aura, I think it can only be played by you. Please just try it; it'll be gift enough for me."

Shrugging, Red took the flute gingerly in his hands and held it to his mouth. Not really knowing how to play a flute, he blew into it trying to get a sound out.

A bright flash of light filled the small grove and immediately blinded everyone. When the light faded, a green pixie was seen frolicking around the area.

"Even though I knew it would work I still can't believe that actually happened," Red said watching Celebi zooming in and out of the small forest.

"Wow so that's Celebi brother?" Leaf asked. "Are all legendaries this playful?"

"It's just as I remembered it when we were journeying," said Rui.

The flute in Red's hand suddenly dissolved into a bright light leaving nothing behind in its place.

After the flute disappeared, Celebi stopped in front of the three. Its eyes grew wide as it saw Red as it started circling around him and then landed on top of head.

"I'm assuming you are the same Celebi I met all those years ago," he said while petting Celebi's small frame.

"You've met a Celebi before?" asked Rui.

"Big brother's seen pretty much every legendary Pokemon before," said Leaf. "Can I see Celebi now?" she pleaded.

Celebi looked between the small girl and Red before floating towards Leaf. The two of them were playing around while the two older cousins stood and watched them.

"I haven't seen her play like that in such a long time," said Red wistfully.

"Even though she's more mature for her age, she's still a child. She deserves this after all the hard work she's been doing. I wish I could have been with you two before we met up back in Rota. It's nice knowing the family," said Rui.

After a couple minutes, Red's P*DA let out a small alert.

"Wonder who that could be?" he mused while taking the handheld device into his hands.

_**-Subject: Get over here guys**_

_**From: Michael**_

_**Tell Rui to meet me at the Rock Poke Spot. She'll know where it is. Hurry!***_

Red handed over his P*DA to his cousin. She looked at the brief message before nodding her head.

"Okay dear cousin of mine, the Rock Poke Spot is located here," she said while pointing towards a dot on his map located towards the eastern borderline areas of Orre.

"What's a Poke Spot?" Red asked.

"The Poke Spots are the only places in Orre where wild Pokemon appear. Actually I've heard they're relatively new since it was actually discovered during Michael's journey."

"What could he possibly want?"

"I don't know but that hurry sounded pressed." Rui turned towards her other cousin. "Leaf, we have to go now. Something has come up from Michael."

Celebi somehow understanding that they were now leaving swirled around Leaf one last time before disappearing leaving a glow of what looked to be green fairy dust.

"Bye Celebi!" she waved at the disappearing Pokemon.

"_It's been such a while since I've been this carefree like her." _"Garchomp I choose you."

The blue dragon soared free from its Pokeball before landing right next to him.

"We'll be at the entrance to Agate. Take my ride like last time since you know the directions. I'll follow behind I guess."

They disappeared into the sky blowing back some wind from the jet like force upon Garchomp's acceleration.

"He could have let us ridden on Garchomp until we got to the bike," Rui sighed while shaking her head. "Return Medicham. Togekiss you're going to give us a ride to the bike. Come on cousin."

They both hopped on the Togekiss before setting out into the sky.

* * *

"I'm slipping off!" cried Leaf as she clung to her older cousin's waist for dear life. The rocky desert terrain might not have been a problem for the hover cycle, but it didn't stop the fact that they had to either go over the large boulders or around them. This gradual process was beginning to make her hands slowly lose their grip.

"We're almost there!" Rui yelled over the desert wind. "It's just beyond that mountain formation.

After a few more minutes of driving, they slowed down until they made a complete stop. Red jumped down from his Garchomp landing into a genuflect before slowly rising. He silently recalled Garchomp and then turned to look at their surroundings.

"So this is the Rock Poke Spot? It doesn't look like much," he said quite drearily. He seemed to be slightly panting.

"Big brother, are you okay?" asked his sister.

"He's just tired from the Orre heat. This is probably the biggest reason why nobody flies in the skies instead of motorized transport. It kills people who would normally be fine with this heat. His Aura should be stabilizing so don't worry about it cousin," answered Rui. "Anyways let's go find Michael."

The gang walks up to the Poke Spot with Red lagging behind drinking out of his canteen.

"Hey guys over here!" yells an all too familiar voice. The trio turned to see a guy in yellow waving at them.

They walked off towards Michael. In a low tone Leaf speaks up, "That Snag Machine and radar make him look like a cyborg from far away."

Her brother quietly snickers at that before being lightly reprimanded by Rui. They continued walking up to where Michael was. There was a small circular platform and what looked to be food on it. Attached to the food was a pair of Trapinch.

"I thought you guys might be interested in having your first Orre capture. They usually flee if you don't get here fast enough. You'll have to use your P*DA's radar if you want to know if there are wild Pokemon here. I heard rumors that some Sinnoh Pokemon were starting to be found and I was hoping to capture one. Instead I find a set of Trapinch. So you guys want to capture it?"

The three of them looked towards each other wondering who was going to go for it.

"I'm not usually a battler so you two can go on ahead," said Rui.

"If you're sure then," said Red. "I choose you Donphan."

"I choose you Riolu."

The two Trapinch both stop eating their snack and turn towards the two newcomers. The both set themselves up for a battle.

"Donphan let's try your new move. Use Ice Shard."

A large piece of ice appears at Donphan's tusks before being hurled at the two Trapinch. Both Trapinch promptly dodge to the side before going underground.

"Riolu find them and then use Force Palm."

Riolu concentrates its Aura by closing its eyes and lifting up its ears high. Upon seeing its target underground, it smashed the floor uprooting the Trapinch.

"Nice job Amy. Riolu you might want to jump for this. Donphan use Earthquake."

With a loud roar, Donphan unleashes a devastating wave uprooting the other Trapinch while causing major damage to both. Riolu safely dodges by leaping up.

""Pokeball go!"" both siblings cry out.

The two Trapinch are consumed by a red light into the Pokeball. The Pokeballs shake for a bit until they stop.

Stopping himself before he did another cliché capture moment, Red walks up to his Pokeball. He was too late to stop his sister from squealing though from her capture.

"YES! I got a Trapinch!" she yelled.

"_I might as well let her enjoy her childhood while it lasts," _Red bemusedly thought to himself.

Meanwhile Michael and Rui were talking amongst themselves.

"So why else would you bring us here?" Rui asked.

"And here I thought we were friends," said Michael chuckling before promptly being smacked by Rui. "Okay, okay sheesh. I was visiting Outskirt Stand earlier and I heard from the barkeep that your boyfriend was in these parts not too long ago."

That was when the two Ketchum siblings came up to them. "So I hear we're going to be meeting your boyfriend soon then?" asks Red to his cousin.

The ground started to violently shake while the dirt picked up from the other side of the mountain.

"It sounds like a Pokemon battle; let's go," said Michael.

The four of them walk over to the other side before seeing…

"You really think you're a challenge for me. Umbreon finish this with a Payback."

The Midnight Pokemon slams right back into its opponent who was a Rhyperior. Rhyperior seemed to have taken the hit well; that was until it fell onto the desert floor.

"I guess you do deserve the title King. And here I thought they were just exaggerations Leo**," said Michael now walking into the area with the others in tow.

The opponent now seeing the other champion in front of him quickly recalls his Rhyperior and leaves on his ATV. The silver haired trainer in dark blue clothes turned towards them before saying:

"I told you to stop calling me that Michael."

"Tch… can't handle being called Leo. And you wonder where people got the name King from anyways?"

"If you want to settle things, I don't have time for that now."

"Oh so you're not glad your girlfriend is here?" came a voice filled with unspeakable rage. Leaf was too busy hiding behind her brother so that she couldn't see her cousin. Even the three older guys shivered a bit.

"No, that could never be the problem dear," said Wes as he came and gave his girl a hug. Rui melted a bit and the killing intent disappeared much to the appreciation of everyone there.

"So why didn't you tell me you were here?" asked Rui while she stomped with her right foot.

"The last time you called you said you wouldn't be here for another three months," said Wes. "I thought you went by your folks' home back in Kanto. I didn't think you'd be back for a while."

"That's a great excuse for a lie. I know that you watched these two clowns' battle," she said much to the protest of the after mentioned clowns yelling out "Hey!"

"I was in the middle of something important, and I didn't want you to be involved," seeing the glare she was giving, he amended that by saying, "yet."

"Remind me to never mess with her again," said Red to Michael who quickly agreed. The harsh glare turned towards them and they froze in their place.

Rui's harsh glare quickly softened when she saw her little cousin lightly pulling on her. "You still haven't introduced us yet," Leaf said.

"Oh I'm sorry. Cousins meet Wes the Champion of Orre and my boyfriend."

When Wes's gaze was firmly set on Leaf, she hid behind her cousin.

"The name's Red; my sister here is Leaf. I'm betting Rui told you our actual names then."

"Indeed she has." He turned towards Michael. "So how in the world did you end up in a tie with a Shadow Pokemon?"

"Hey don't give me that. I bet you'd probably end up the same way," the semi-professor said.

"Guys, there's no need to fight here," Rui said trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

"Actually Rui, I've been itching to battle him for a while," he said pointing towards Red.

"Ugh… fine at least tell me what you're doing around here of all places."

"I've been trying to stay on the down low for a while. Apparently there are rumors of Team Snagem doing something so I thought I'd check it out. Between that and battling the random assed trainers who think they can beat me nothing much. Anyways I'm going to need you to referee."

"Okay fine get to your corners then."

"You better not lose Red. My pride here's on the line as well!" yelled Michael.

"Got it got it."

"This battle shall be a double battle with each trainer only allowed two Pokemon."

"Alright then; Tyranitar and Gliscor let's go."

"_Garchomp would be the best counter to these two Pokemon with its ability, but it is still tired from all that flying from earlier. Donphan might work. Lucario and Pikachu could also bring them down, but only the Tyranitar seems like one of his ace Pokemon. In that case." _"I choose you Donphan and Lucario."

"_I'm ready to serve Master."_ 'Don Donphan'

"Alright then it's time to dethrone ourselves a champion."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Well next chapter is going to be the anticipated battle between Red vs. Wes. A few things to note in the following: **

*** Well I decided to change the P*DA memos into its actual format from the game. Hopefully it'll give a little bit more authentic feel.**

****The term Leo comes from Wes's name in the manga. In my story, the reason they call him King was when Michael first met Wes, he called him Leo as for his aggressive and powerful play style like the lion (it doesn't hurt that Wes's gaze is pretty intimidating). The name evolved into King seeing as the lion is known as the King of the Jungle.**

**I also got a review from IANMK.001 basically telling me that I might have made some ideas vague or misunderstood (but not wrong) so I'm hoping to get my writing style to change that. It's a work in progress but thanks to that I know what I as a writer need to work on. If you find anything just leave a comment. And thanks again IAN for the heads up.**

**Alright that should be all. Leave a review and until next time see you guys.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliations. I only own the OC's and the plot.

**Reference:** _"thought/Aura speech"_/ _'_Pokemon speech'/ "speech"

**Author's Notes:** Probably one of the biggest battles you've been waiting for. Hopefully this can attract more responses because that's what keeps me going in the long run. Anyways the battle between Red and Wes!

* * *

The battle has begun but something drew in the interest of both Lucario and its Master.

"_Master do you sense that?"_

"_It's hard not to," _was his trainer's response. Currently, Red and his Lucario were gauging their opponents with their Aura Sight performing the standard Aura Reading. _"I really wish I had Rui's sight right now,"_ he said while looking at Wes's Tyranitar specifically.

"_There's a hidden Aura around that one Master." _Indeed there was something strange with the Aura surrounding the Tyranitar. The usual signs of a purification in its Aura were there, but there was something coming off from it deep within. It was if it was waiting to be unleashed. A hidden potential if you will.

Meanwhile Wes noticed the intent gaze. _"So I'm assuming they're using an Aura Reading. Looking at how long it's taking him, his gift isn't like Rui's or up to the scanner of Michael's. Perfect." _"Gliscor fly upwards. Tyranitar use Blizzard."

The commands immediately begin. A huge snowstorm was coming out of Tyranitar's mouth. This immediately kicked Red into gear.

"_What kind of Tyranitar uses Blizzard? Oh well." _"Donphan use Rollout and Lucario jump on Donphan."

The two Pokemon begin setting up their formation as Donphan begins turning into a wheel while Lucario balances on top.

"I thought you said you knew what you were doing!" screamed Michael. "Those kinds of tactics won't work on him."

"We'll see. Lucario use Blaze Kick."

Lucario instantly begins barraging Donphan with its burning feet while still tries to balance on top. The result ended in an acceleration going into the snowstorm as a flaming wheel. It easily cuts through the cold air and hits Tyranitar.

"Tyranitar grab them."

Tyranitar while still taking in the impact grunts and grabs a hold of Donphan's horns. This forced Lucario to jump off while Donphan was still trapped. In the background a small "I told you" rang out.

"_Lucario use Aura Sphere."_

The silent command was given as Lucario charges up its infamous blue sphere before promptly getting hit by a Fire Fang from Gliscor.

"You've got to be a lot better than that to beat me Red. Silent commands aren't that hard to figure out especially since you've been distracted."

"_Damn I completely forgot about that Gliscor. The real threat is the Tyranitar though, but we need to get that Gliscor out of the way." _"Lucario use Double Team and Agility. Follow it up with Close Combat."

"Tyranitar throw away that Donphan. Use Earthquake."

Tyranitar throws Donphan into the air while smashing its tail into the ground. Lucario ignores it and begins to blur around Tyranitar. Lucario gradually closes the distance and starts barraging Tyranitar.

"Gliscor use Aerial Ace on that Donphan. Tyranitar use Sand Stream."

"_Lucario you know what to do."_

Tyranitar lets out a giant roar as massive amounts of sand kicks up pushing Lucario back. The desert wind itself was billowing harshly against everything slightly pushing back the audience. Red manages to stay firm.

Meanwhile, Gliscor was utilizing the sand to create even more havoc. Its ability in play, it continually rams straight into Donphan preventing it from ever touching the ground. This barrage was stopped when an icy cold fist comes out of nowhere smashing into Gliscor's unprotected back.

The sand gradually died down with all four Pokemon starting back up in their beginning formation. Gliscor and Donphan both seem to be extremely worn out.

"How did you land the attack with Sand Veil activating?" Wes asked.

"Oh I thought you were gonna ask how he got there in the first place," he replied with a small smirk. "You said silent commands were easy to figure out. Anyways, Lucario is _the _Aura Pokemon. Shouldn't that have been obvious?"

"Gliscor use Screech. Tyranitar use Rock Slide."

A loud echoing sound comes out of Gliscor's mouth making everyone but Wes cover their ears in pain. This also started to disorient Lucario and Donphan while steadily being pushed back. The sound of rocks coming snapped themselves out of it and Lucario immediately creates a shield in front of itself and Donphan.

"_Good thinking Lucario. That would have done a lot even with the type resistance. That Aura Shield seems stronger than before. Nice job."_

"_Thank you Master."_

Meanwhile Wes was momentarily confused. That was until he remembered what it was. _"It can use an Aura Shield huh. I guess Rui told them some things." _"Break through it. Gliscor use Guillotine."

Gliscor's claws open up wide and glowing a pure white as it soars towards them for the kill.

"_Lucario use Water Pulse." _"Donphan use Ice Shard."

A huge ball of ice forms around Donphan before being sent straight into Gliscor's path. Gliscor easily crushes through it but comes face to face with a Water Pulse. That was until…

"Tyranitar Sand Stream."

Suddenly sand forms in front of Gliscor and begins absorbing the water without breaking apart. Gliscor immediately retreats back letting the wild sand do the work.

"_How is this happening? That sand just came out from the ground." _It was at this moment Red facepalmed.

"Tough luck for you but this whole desert is in my advantage. Tyranitar thanks to its ability can manipulate the sandstorm anywhere since this is just a vast land of sand."

"_Now I really need to get rid of that Tyranitar but first that Gliscor. In that case a distraction."_ "Lucario use Sphere Barrage. Donphan get in close with Rollout. Aim for that Tyranitar." _"Lucario while it's distracted immediately hit an Ice Punch on Gliscor. We've only got one shot."_

Lucario starts spamming several moves all at once. It starts sending Aura Spheres, Shadow Balls, Dragon Pulses, Water Pulses, and even the occasional Hidden Power all at Tyranitar in a quick motion. Donphan starts rolling towards Tyranitar from the side.

"_The best way to handle projectiles would be to use Stone Edge, but there's too many. In that case…"_ "Tyranitar use Sand Stream."

A quick layer of sand comes in front of the spheres and sponges the hits before dissipating. The effort seemed to cost Tyranitar as it was being gradually pushed back.

"Gliscor use Ice Fang on that Donphan."

"_Lucario now!"_

Gliscor swooped down onto the rolling Ground type with its fangs glowing a frosty blue. As it was about to strike, Lucario jumps onto its back and slams an Ice Punch on its unprotected back knocking it out of the air before jumping off.

"Lucario finish this off with Water Pulse."

A last blue sphere sinks into Gliscor's chest consuming it in water. It lands completely immobilized.

"Gliscor is unable to battle."

Wes silently recalls his Gliscor before muttering a few words that couldn't be heard to the rest of them. Wes's gaze lands firmly on Red. _"This trainer knows what he's doing. That Lucario's speed is something unheard of."_ Wes begins to smirk almost ferally. _"It's time."_

Both Rui and Michael begin to involuntarily shudder. That smirk meant it was time.

"Rui what's going on?" her cousin asked her.

"You'll find out," she replied gravely.

"Tyranitar it's time to begin. Use Blizzard on that Donphan."

With a ferocious roar, Tyranitar unleashes a devastating Blizzard attack. The wind seemed to even begin to freeze the desert itself as it came towards Donphan. As soon it touched Donphan, the Armor Pokemon froze in place. Snow started to pile around its form as it could do nothing. Donphan finally reached its limit and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Donphan is unable to battle."

"Donphan return you did a good job." _"What kind of power was that? It completely froze him upon touching and it even affected the desert sands. Lucario, it's time to reassess that Tyranitar. Begin another Aura Reading."_

The two Aura users gazed intently onto Tyranitar. Red almost fell down in shock.

"_Master I think that hidden power has been unleashed right now."_

Indeed a massive amount of Aura was shooting off its body. If the Tyranitar from before was strong, this didn't even pale in comparison.

"I don't think I need to tell you that this battle is going to be completely different than before. Prepare yourself."

"Don't need to tell me twice." _"Lucario it's time to get in synch."_

"_Yes Master."_

Trainer and Pokemon alike both began to stand in the exact same stance. Both of their eyes were glowing blue with power. They each began to do a few stances each of them in synch with the other's motion. (A/N: think of Maylene with her Lucario except for the actual Aura)

"I guess their training paid off in the end," said Rui.

Michael looked completely aghast at the display. "Is he trying to imitate his Pokemon or what?"

Rui shook her head. "No, they're completely in synch." Noticing his still questioning gaze, she said, "Just watch and find out."

"_Hmm… so he's an actual Guardian or at least an Aura User. Interesting." _"Tyranitar use Dragon Dance followed by Ancient Power."

Tyranitar began to amass ancient energy into its body which was then followed by large rocks swirling around Tyranitar. The Ancient Power then melded all along Tyranitar's arms with the combination of some sand from the ground.

"Careful Red," Michael warned, "he's about to begin his most devastating sequence."

"Okay then I guess we should as well." _"Lucario start gathering your Aura and begin charging. We're going to use that, but first start off with an Aura Reinforcement."_

The two Aura users stood completely still. The faint glow of blue surrounding each of their bodies was the only sign that they were actually doing anything.

"Tyranitar use Fire Punch."

Unlike any Tyranitar they've ever seen, it completely disappeared until it emerged behind Lucario's back with its fiery fist.

The attack would have landed but both Pokemon and trainer jumped high into the air.

"So let me guess, Red's an Aura Guardian?" Michael asks. "Man I feel like an idiot. Of course, why would all three of you carry Aura Pokemon if you didn't," he said quickly followed by a facepalm.

"Wow big brother's jumping higher than before," Leaf said while staring at him who was now just falling down towards the ground.

"It's the Aura. He's focusing it on pin-point areas of his body just like any Aura Pokemon," said Rui. "Technically he doesn't have to be in synch, but it helps with getting a perspective of the battle from Lucario's end. Their movements might mirror each other, but they can see what the other is doing."

"Then how come Pikachu can do that without any of this going on?" her little cousin asked.

"Truthfully I don't know. I haven't been with him for as long as you." The three of them were looking even more intently on the battle after that. Tyranitar seemed to be too fast for its kind, but unfortunately for it, Lucario could keep up with its movements.

"_Begin Aura Sight."_

The two Aura users closed their eyes. Following that everything they saw was in blue. Even the smallest things could be seen like the wind and the small shifting of the sand.

"Tyranitar use Dragon Dance again followed by Aqua Tail."

The ancient energy is gathered again, and it closes in on Lucario and smashes it with its tail. Lucario gets smashed into one of the desert boulders in the background.

"_Lucario are you alright?"_

"_Yes Master I'm fine, but Master why is it so fast? That last attack got even us off guard."_

Red stood there pondering. It was then he remembered that Ancient Power. _"Lucario it's the Ancient Power. Even if that Dragon Dance is helping, it's that mesh of the Ancient Power from before."_

Not giving them any time for a break, Wes strikes fast, "Tyranitar use Fire Punch."

"_Lucario use Bone Rush."_

Lucario blocks the strike with the use of its bones while Red was still simulating the same behavior. The bone parries away the fist and smashes Tyranitar on the head. The surprising thing is Tyranitar seemed to have taken no damage from that.

"Tyranitar release the Stone Smash."

The boulders off Tyranitar's arms release themselves and start pounding at Lucario. Lucario shakily gets up with the use of its bones, but the synchronization between the two seemed to stop.

"_Lucario, now that the thing is gone, your attacks should be able to hit more decisively now. The only reason you took it so well was because of your natural typing plus the Aura. You're on your last breath so we're going to have to give this everything we got." _

"_Yes Master."_

Red looks at Wes. "That's an impressive attack. Between Michael's Magnetic Compass and now this Stone Smash, I don't know if I want to know what the other top trainers in Orre can do. Now it's time to show you my own attack. Lucario use Aura Storm."

"Tyranitar use Sand Stream."

The entire Aura that Lucario could gather was concentrated in its hands as it fired it off like a giant laser beam. Tyranitar starts gathering all of the sand it could from the desert and sets up a multilayered make-shift shield of sorts. The beam hits tearing through most of the layers of sand and strikes Tyranitar on the chest and creates a massive smokescreen. When the smoke falls, Tyranitar could be seen getting up with a slight limp while Lucario was down on one knee.

"I've seen enough," Wes said as his Tyranitar was recalled in a red beam. "Michael you're going to be doing the explanations. Rui are you going to join me?"

Rui looked apologetic at her family, but seeing the small nod in confirmation from Red knew that she could leave. The two of them left on their motorcycle with the small wind blowing behind them.

"Silent and trying to stay cool as ever," Michael commented. He turned to see Red recalling his Lucario looking defeated. "You actually did pretty damn good out there against him," he said while hitting him on the back.

"I lost and we both know it. By the way why are you taking this so well?" Red asked.

"Meh I saw that battle. You would have won if this wasn't your first time battling him."

"I can't take any excuses. If I'm to succeed then I have to admit right there that I lost."

"Big brother," Leaf said, "Rui never called out an official declaration. How come you know you've lost? He returned his Pokemon first."

"It's because my Lucario was on the ground still trying to get up while his Tyranitar got up."

"Well if you look at it one way, you won by default," Michael commented with a laugh. Seeing the glare he was given, he stopped and said, "Did you even bother thinking of what actually happened with that last attack. You were playing on his field advantage and yet you still did pretty well. I may be no expert on Aura but I do know it comes from the energy from life. You do realize we're in the desert right? The only Aura it could have gathered is from us and maybe some desert Pokemon and plants around here which isn't much."

"I know that but what's your point?"

"The Tyranitar used its ability to manipulate the sand to create a pretty strong barricade. I know for a fact how annoying that thing is. The fact that you were able to break through it and still land a blow on Tyranitar while being at a complete disadvantage says a lot."

"You had everything against you. The desert gave Wes the best advantage by providing as much sand that shield could use yet your Lucario still tore through it with the little amount of Aura it could draw up on. Now do you get my drift?"

He slowly nodded.

"Now come on, we're going to Phenac Stadium."

They slowly walked away, but Red couldn't keep himself from pondering over the battle in his head over and over again.

* * *

"You know Wes, you could have told me beforehand!" yelled Rui over the desert wind.

"You were busy…" he said with a bored tone. He didn't bother looking down at his girlfriend who was riding in the sidecar. His expression was still locked looking tightly at the desert in front of him.

"You could have told me about this. You could have even told Michael about this Wes!"

"He wouldn't have been able either. He's too busy keeping the champion's seat occupied for the masses."

"Yet you come out now and say that there might be a chance in Cypher reforming?"

"It's not confirmed fact, so I didn't bother telling you about the rumors. Remember the last time the rumors came after Michael destroyed them last time."

She remembered it very well. There were several sources of clowns trying to gain infamy by resurrecting Cypher. They weren't even close to being a threat.

"Let's get a move on then."

The motorbike roared through the desert faster now and with renewed vigor.

* * *

"So this is Phenac City?" asked Leaf. The entire place was built upon stone. A stone wall surrounded the city preventing the desert winds from burning the city. The buildings and roads were built upon stone as well. Also unlike most places, the desert city was filled with flowing water throughout the land. A system of waterways connected throughout the city being recycled from what looked like the highest most building.

"Phenac City is one of the coolest cities in Orre, and I don't just mean the temperature. The architecture is based around the pinnacle of the city, the Phenac Stadium. It's a one of a kind stadium filled with flowing water that flows down throughout the rest of the town. Apparently the water travels underground and then starts the process all over again," said Michael.

"This place is pretty grand for a desert city. Are all the major cities like this?" asked Red.

"Nah, every major town has their own theme to it. You see those citizens?" Michael asked.

The two siblings looked throughout the town noticing the stares they were attracting.

"They're quite suspicious of outsiders. They especially hate crime syndicates and thieves. They have good reason for it too," he told them. He then yelled over to everyone in the city, "It's alright guys there good guys!"

It seemed like that shout had the right effect on the people as the citizens slowly relaxed and went right back to whatever they were doing.

"Alright you guys the Pokemon Center is this way towards the left."

They made their way through the streets and came upon a Pokemon Center. Even this building was made of stone.

They walked through the sliding doors and proceeded to Nurse Joy.

"Welcome to our Pokemon Center!" she greeted them. "I'll gladly take in any of your weary Pokemon."

Red handed two of his Pokeballs to Nurse Joy. "Thank you Nurse Joy."

"It's not a problem. Michael is there anything I can help you with in your stay in Phenac?" she asked him.

"Nah I'm just showing these guys around the place. He's here for the Orre Colosseum challenge."

"Oh might I add that they should visit the PreGym, especially little Leaf here."

"Sure thing Nurse Joy; we'll be back right after."

"Take care."

As they were about to leave, Leaf notices the virtual map to the side. "Wow, this place is so cool. It's so different from other Pokemon Centers.

"Actually Leaf I think it's just Orre," Red said. "Even Rui was saying something about that back in Rota."

Michael led them throughout a series of turns. They briefly saw a man running with his Castform around the fountain in the city's 'square.' Well it was more circular than anything. As they walked up the stairs to the next part of Phenac, Michael goes straight ahead and they come upon a grand building in the middle of the city.

"This is the PreGym guys. Hey Leaf, this might be a good place to practice your skills. I've been actually thinking about starting on Jovi's training soon and this is actually one of the best places to practice and learn."

They walked into the large building facing directly into a large stadium in the middle of a simple double battle.

A man with light purple hair said, "Gligar finish this off with Steel Wing."

The purple bat slams into its opponent, a Furret, with wings glowing brightly. It was an easy knockout.

"Furret is unable to battle. The winner goes to Pregymleader Justy."

The two trainers return their Pokemon and walk off the stage. They talked briefly for a moment before the small girl who lost nodded her head left. The purple haired trainer Justy turns and then easily greets the three of them.

"Ah Michael I see you've brought guests. My name's Justy and I head the Prestige Precept Center."

"My name's Red and this is my sister Leaf. We were touring the city and Nurse Joy recommended we find you. Michael mentioned the place so we decided to come here."

"I see well then follow me for a tour of the place."

The five of them walked towards the left side of the building. Inside was a small hallway that led to a couple of classrooms.

"This is where many of our uprising trainers learn the basics. The farther the classroom is from the main entrance, the harder the course is." He opened one of the doors. Everyone in the classroom was excited to see him.

"Why don't you tell our guests the Pokemon Trainer's Cree?"

All the students got up and said:

"Pokemon are invaluable partners!"

"Pokemon type match ups hold the key to battles!"

"Pokemon and trainers grow together!"

"Well done class keep on studying hard," he said as he closed the doors.

"Bright students you have there," commented Red.

"They are naturally bright students. I expect them to be the future trainers of this region. Now would you mind following me towards the stadium?"

Justy then led them towards the stadium.

"Why are we walking on the stadium?" asked Leaf.

"Just wait for it," Michael told her.

Justy took out a key and put it into a small hole where there was a Pokeball symbol that seemingly was attached to the stadium's edge. After unlocking it, a glass elevator surged upward.

"Whoa!" cried Leaf as she landed on her back taken completely by surprise from the sudden appearance of the elevator.

"Yeah I love seeing people's first reactions to this thing," said Justy with a small smile. "Anyways follow me down here."

They ambled into the elevator going to the basement floor. As soon as they got out, Leaf again was shocked by the display in front of her. Even Red couldn't help but whistle at the beauty of it all.

"This area is our training facilities. Each section of the land is built to have different terrains for training.

"I could get use to training in here," commented Red.

Indeed there was a reason to be impressed. This whole seemingly underground basement was divided into four sections of different battling fields. For the field manipulator, it was the perfect place to train.

"There's a dirt, sand, grassland, and forest areas. The forest actually has a tiny lake where you can practice with Water types," said Michael. "In fact one of these days I should have a rematch against you Red here."

"Anytime anyplace," he said. They were each giving each other an intimidating glare.

"Stop it you two," said Justy.

"Well I'm sorry I've actually found another rival. It gets boring when it's just Wes nowadays."

"And you're going to lose," the Aura user replied.

"Anyways is there anything else you wanted to ask about?" asked Justy. "This pretty much ends our tour."

"Hey Justy?" asked Red "You're the leader of this facility right?"

"Indeed I am."

"Would you mind battling right now?"

"I take it you want to battle me then?" asks Justy.

"No, I was thinking that my sister would."

Justy looks shocked for a moment. He turned to look at all three of them, and they all seemed to think it was a good idea.

Justy looked squarely into Michael's eyes. "Are you sure, because I'll even skip the knockout round challenge, but are you sure that this is a good idea? She still seems a bit young to be battling."

"Oh trust me; I think she might even surprise you." That seemed to make Justy relax and to just go with it. If there was someone you could believe in, it was Michael.

"Well then Leaf, why don't you come up to the main stage?"

"Alright sir."

The two of them stood in separate corners. Michael stood off to the side with Red while he was to be made the unofficial judge.

It looked like this battle out of nowhere was attracting the students from the Prestige Center. Many people were watching the battle with a glow of excitement.

"I hope you know what you're doing Leaf, because I don't want to hurt you."

"I can handle myself," she said defensively.

"This match between the Pregymleader Justy vs. Leaf shall now commence. This battle will be a 6 on 6 double battle. Trainers begin."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Yup, we're going to see Leaf battle Justy. It should be an exciting match, so stay tuned for that.

Any Anime fans out there? I've recently started a Sword Art Online fanfic if you want to check it out. It's kind of sad, because in one chapter I've gotten more reviews than sometimes two chapters in my Pokemon stories. Oh well whatever. The only real thing I have to say about that was I never expected to work on multiple stories at the same time. Wow I'm going to be spread thin, so the updates well… We'll see how fast I am.

Well time to get some more inspiration from watching the old Pokemon episodes (I've been watching Battle Frontier recently and there's so many combinations that can be utilized!).

Alright that should be it. Leave a review and until next time see you later.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliations. I only own the OC's and the plot.

**Reference: **_"thought__/Aura speech"_/ _'_Pokemon speech'/ "speech"

**Author's Notes: **Well sorry for the delay; I've been really busy. Anyways, let the battle between Amy (Leaf) and Justy shall now begin!

* * *

"Now I'll get to see why Michael thinks so highly of you. Gligar and Sandslash I choose you."

"_A Gligar and a Sandslash; both are Ground types so…" _"I choose you Starmie and Gengar."

In a flash of light, both trainers' Pokemon stand on the field. They each glare at their opponents.

"I'll let you have the first move," said Justy.

"_He acts just like Cilan, except without the whole Connoisseur thing." _"Starmie use Surf. Gengar disappear."

A giant wave of water gets launched by Starmie directly at its foes. Gengar uses this wave as cover to seemingly disappear from the stadium.

"_These are simple tactics, yet they seem highly effective,"_ mused Justy. _"In that case…" _"Gligar and Sandslash, double Sandstorm attack."

Two large sand tornadoes emerge and easily block the wave of water. The arena's visibility becomes even lower.

"_Those Pokemon both have the ability Sand Veil. I better be careful." _"Gengar start using Icy Wind. Starmie use Rain Dance."

"That's not going to work. Show them you two."

Gengar comes out of the shadows where it was hiding and starts layering the enemies' feet with a cold wind. Starmie sends up a blue ball into the sky that starts up a heavy rainstorm.

Sandslash and Gligar stay calm throughout this. They each begin to use Sandstorm once more.

"Now you two; converge it."

The two Sandstorm funnels fuse into one that easily stops the Icy Wind and absorbs the rain from above.

"That technique of his came from Wes," said Michael to Red. "You didn't see it much since the only water move you used was Water Pulse, but if you concentrate sand and reinforce it, instead of turning into mud and falling, it will absorb the attack thus rendering it completely ineffective."

"That's a good thing to note," he replied._"She knows what to do after all."_

"_So my Water type attacks won't work unless it has enough power to break through reinforced sand," _thought Leaf. _"If I used _that_ it would be too strenuous. Instead…" _ "Alright, Starmie use Rapid Spin and Ice Beam just like I taught you. Gengar back up Starmie with Astonish."

Starmie's body starts rotating at a high speed. Its body begins to gyrate faster and faster. Then each of the five tips of its body starts to glow with an icy blue. It then launches a high speed attack that quickly tears through the dual Sandstorm.

Before either of Justy's Pokemon could respond they flinch due to Gengar emerging right in front of them.

"_That was a contest worthy move if she put more effort into the visual aspects rather than the power. She's never expressed any real interest in contests but maybe…"_ Red thought to himself.

"A very good execution of a tactic, well done Leaf," complimented Justy. "But now, now it's my turn. Use Dual Sandstorm once more."

"_He's planning something, but if I want to win I have to stay on the offensive." _"Starmie use the Gyro Ice once more and Gengar disappear."

The newly dubbed 'Gyro Ice' again cuts through the Sandstorm like a saw blade. This time though none of the Pokemon could be found.

"Dual X-Scissor."

From the skies, Gligar comes down towards Starmie while at the same time Sandslash does as well from underground.

"Gengar get in there and use Protect."

Coming out of the shadows, it gets to Starmie first and layers both of them under the mystical green protection. This knocks Sandslash back down to the ground but Gligar seems to keep pushing through.

"That's the way Gligar keep it up."

After his trainer's words, Gligar's renewed spirit empowers him to start pushing back even more. Eventually Gengar can't handle the strain and the shield breaks.

"Starmie counter that Gligar with Ice Beam."

Starmie aims its beam of ice directly at Gligar before promptly being smashed towards the ground by rocks from above.

"You might want to keep a better eye on both opponents," said Justy pointing towards his Sandslash. "Gligar hit Gengar now."

"Gengar grab onto it."

Somehow as Gligar swoops down, Gengar catches the bat on the fall.

"Now follow it up with Hypnosis."

Gengar at such a close range easily ensnares Gligar to sleep.

"Starmie use Hydro Pump on Sandslash. Gengar use Dream Eater."

"_There's no time to react to Gligar. Wow, she easily cornered me in a few moves," _praised Justy. "Sandslash use Dig."

Sandslash dodges the stream of water, but Gligar is left to its fate. Gengar easily restores its health and Gligar lands to the ground with a thud.

"Gligar is unable to battle," said Michael.

"Return Gligar, you did a good job. Next up is Cacturne."

The Scarecrow Pokemon comes out eagerly anticipating the battle ahead.

"Things are about to get a little more interesting," said Justy. "Cacturne use Pin Missile on Starmie. Sandslash get up and use Rollout."

"Starmie use Recover. Gengar use Protect."

Hundreds of missiles launch from Cacturne's body directly at Starmie. Starmie hides behind Gengar in response as Gengar guards over his comrade with Protect. However…

"Sandslash jump and continue onward."

Sandslash's body leaps high into the air and lands a clean hit on Starmie. Starmie faints as a result.

"Starmie is unable to battle."

"So that Sandslash can jump without assistance?" Red muttered to himself. "_Even still some of my Pokemon have to use the field in order to do that. This guy is really good."_

The same series of thoughts were milling around his sister's mind. _"Since when could a Pokemon do that without any aid? That one took me completely by surprise. Big brother surely would have scolded me for not paying attention,"_ she thought as she returned her Starmie. "Alright Riolu it's your turn."

"Cacturne use Faint Attack. Sandslash use Earthquake."

Cacturne disappears from view while Sandslash smashes the ground causing a series of shaking.

"_Riolu, this is what we've been training for. Jump onto Gengar to avoid the Earthquake and use your Aura Sight and scout out Cacturne. Land a Force Palm."_

Riolu quickly jumps onto Gengar avoiding the Earthquake and quickly charges up its palms. With its eyes glowing blue, it looks around until finally spotting the Cacturne and delivering a powerful hit directly into its stomach. Cacturne is sent flying away and crashing into the ground hard.

"That was quite the combination Leaf," praised Justy. "Utilizing one Pokemon's strengths to help out its teammate to maximize the results all in one fluid motion; I can see that I misjudged you earlier."

"Thank you Justy."

"But that won't be enough to take down my Cacturne. Cacturne use Cotton Guard followed by another Faint Attack. Sandslash use Defense Curl."

Both of Justy's Pokemon begin strengthening their defenses. Cacturne again disappears from view.

"_That won't work on us. Riolu, same thing as before." _"Gengar use Shadow Ball on Sandslash."

Riolu tenses itself and delivers a fast Force Palm to its left just as Cacturne appears.

"Cacturne use Giga Drain. Sandslash tear through it with Rollout."

Roots come out of Cacturne's body that freezes Riolu's arms in place. It also manages to clamp onto Gengar, but not before firing off its Shadow Ball. It was all for naught as Sandslash tears through it anyway and continues to head straight at the pair.

"He combined Giga Drain not only to gain health but also to setup for his next attack. I'd be hard pressed to remember the amount of Gym Leaders who could do that," commented Red. "I can see why he got his title."

"I personally never went through this, but Justy used to be one of the strongest trainers in this region. He even beat Wes before Wes got good," replied Michael.

"_I've got to figure out a way to get them out of there,"_ Leaf thought looking quite panicked. _"That's it!" _"Gengar use Psychic on Riolu and get it away and then use Destiny Bond."

Gengar with the last of its strength manages to get lift Riolu away from Cacturne's reach and throw it to the other side of the stadium. Gengar then turns to its opponent and locks a terrifying gaze at the rolling Pokemon.

"Cacturne get out of there!"

Cacturne jumps just in time releasing the roots still connecting the two. As soon as Sandslash hits its mark, both Pokemon collapse onto the floor.

"Gengar and Sandslash are unable to battle."

"Return," they both said.

"Wow your sister has got guts," Michael said. "She knew that since Riolu was naturally weaker to Psychic, it would be easier to control its movements thus getting it out of there safely. Safely being the relative word."

Indeed it was a dangerous gambit. Riolu due to being weak to Psychic attacks was able to be moved easily, but the timing was late where Gengar had to throw Riolu away to get it from fainting along with it.

"_Riolu are you okay?"_

"_Yes Mistress. I'm fine."_

Leaf was very worried after that last attack. She got cornered again and had to use up a lot of her Pokemon's health just to survive the hit.

"I choose you Ninetales."

"It's up to you Nosepass."

On opposite sides of the stadium, a kitsune and the Compass Pokemon come out.

"Ninetales we need to get back the momentum. Are you ready girl?"

Ninetales purred in response.

"Then let's go. Riolu use Quick Attack. Same with you Ninetales."

Both of Leaf's Pokemon quickly speed at its opponents.

"Nosepass take the hits. Cacturne use Needle Arm."

Nosepass stands in front of the assault while Cacturne waits for its moment to strike down its opponents.

"You thought that was the plan?" asked Leaf. "My brother hammered himself to stop attacking recklessly, and I had to learn the same. Instead… Ninetales use Confuse Ray. Riolu slam them both with a Drain Punch."

It was too late for Justy to make a response. Ninetales already closing in on its targets unleashes a brilliant glow from its eyes dazing both Nosepass and Cacturne. Riolu then gets the free chance to hit both Pokemon very hard due to its own Quick Attack boosting its Drain Punch.

"Nosepass get up and use Thunder Wave. Cacturne use Spikes."

Cacturne releases a load of spikes that surrounds Ninetales and Riolu. Each of them try to jump over them without touching them, but Nosepass's Thunder Wave makes them freeze in midair before landing on said spikes.

"Ninetales use Heat Wave."

The surrounding spikes get pushed back by the intense heat freeing the two of them, but it wasn't enough to reach its target as the paralysis gets ahold of it.

"Cacturne finish this. Use Needle Arm on that Riolu."

"Riolu you've got to counter it. Use Brick Break."

Cacturne gets up and swings its arms down onto Riolu, but it is met with resistance as the two attacks collide. It's a full on struggle to see which one can clobber the other one first.

"Ninetales try and use Flamethrower on Cacturne."

"Nosepass use Rock Tomb."

Ninetales trying to help out its teammate unleashes a torrent of fire, but it is quickly halted by the Rock Tomb.

"Ninetales I know the paralysis is hurting you, but you must keep going. Turn up the flames."

Heading its trainer's call, Ninetales pours more energy into its attack. The fire tears through the rocks and lands squarely into Cacturne who can't stop it because of its deadlock with Riolu.

"Cacturne is unable to battle."

"The spirit of your Pokemon is strong," Justy said as he returned his Cacturne. "I haven't had a rush like this in a long time. Azumarill, I choose you!"

The Aquarabbit Pokemon appears in a flash. It gets itself into a standard battling position.

"You'll find winning that much harder now. Azumarill use Aqua Jet."

Azumarill surrounds itself in water and rushes head first into Ninetales.

"Riolu get in front and use Protect."

Riolu tries to jump in front of the attack, but contrary to Azumarill's size would suggest it crashes into Ninetales faster than Riolu can guard its teammate.

"Ninetales is unable to battle."

"Return Ninetales." _"Wow that Azumarill is fast. Riolu couldn't even react to that kind of speed. I guess it's up to you." _"I choose you Pichu."

"A Pichu huh, just because both of your Pokemon have a type advantage doesn't mean you'll win."

Indeed because looking at the matchups, one would be inclined to think that Justy was in this favor. Both of Leaf's Pokemon both pretty small next to a Nosepass and Azumarill which are rather bulky. That and the amount of damage Riolu seems to have racked up.

"Big things come in small packages because after all I'm going to be winning this battle. Both of you use Quick Attack."

"Azumarill intercept with Aqua Jet."

Both diminutive Pokemon dash to their opponent while Azumarill does the same but consumed with water. The attacks meet head on, but it looks like Azumarill is pushing them back.

"Pichu now use Thunderbolt."

Riolu jumps out of the attack leaving its partner to be pushed back even more. Before Pichu could be blown away, electricity starts covering its body and makes contact with Azumarill. Azumarill is halted in its tracks taking in more damage since the water surrounding it was sentencing it to its own demise.

"Azumarill!" Justy cried.

Pichu tries to smirk, but the excess electricity from its own attack seems to have shocked itself.

"_I thought Pichu could use its electricity without hurting itself now. Looks like I'll have to train it again, although it seems that its tolerance hasn't deteriorated," _thought Leaf.

"_That was pretty impressive. She made me think I was going to win through sheer force, but it ultimately set me for my own downfall. I don't know how many more times she can surprise me now," _thought Justy. "Azumarill I know you're still ready for more so time to show them!"

Azumarill seems to casually shrug off its pain looking ready for more.

"Nosepass use Rock Tomb. Azumarill use Hydro Pump."

Giant boulders encased the two tiny Pokemon entrapping their arms and legs as to hinder their movement. They could only stand there and watch as the water was crushing towards them.

"Pichu and Riolu use Endure."

Both Pokemon embraced themselves for the hit. As soon as the torrent of water hit, the rocks were destroyed by the force doing even more damage to the two.

"Pichu use Double Team."

Multiple Pichus surrounded Justy's Pokemon getting ready for an attack.

"Azumarill use Hydro Pump on them all!"

"Pichu use Reversal."

Azumarill quickly fires off another jet of water, but unfortunately it couldn't hit the real one. Pichu easily gets in close and hits Nosepass hard pushing it closer to Riolu.

"Riolu finish this with your own Reversal."

Before anyone could react, Riolu manages to strike Nosepass down making it collapse on the spot.

"Nosepass is unable to battle."

"I never expected that a challenger would bring me this far today," said Justy. "I'm glad that I got this opportunity."

"The same goes for me Justy," said Leaf.

"Now then I choose you Sunflora."

"A Sunflora huh?" asks Red. "Usually their not known to be for battling."

"Oh this one is full of surprises," said Michael.

"Pichu use Double Team followed by Echoed Voice! Riolu use Screech."

Multiple copies of Pichu surround Azumarill and Sunflora before a deafening sound is released. The power in this attack starts to multiply as the echo goes on. Riolu not being left out unleashes its own howl at the two.

"Azumarill use Water Pulse. Sunflora use Razor Leaf."

A huge wave of water covers Justy's Pokemon making lowering the volume of the sound. Leaves come tearing through this wave hitting every single Double Team and managing to hit Riolu. Riolu having to endure the earlier hit faints on the spot.

"Riolu is unable to battle."

"Return Riolu. Espeon you're my last hope!"

"This battle is about to be over soon," said Red.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that."

"Pichu fall back. Espeon use Morning Sun."

Leaf's Pichu jumps onto Espeon's back. Espeon then follows up with Morning Sun rejuvenating Pichu back to fighting strength.

"Sunflora use Razor Leaf. Azumarill use Aqua Jet."

Azumarill surrounds itself in water and charges straight at the pair. Sunflora's leaves start to surround around Azumarill causing a combination of water and grass.

"Espeon Psychic. Pichu use Volt Tackle."

Espeon's eyes glows blue. It concentrates on the leaves encircling the speeding Azumarill and begins to detach them from Azumarill. Pichu however leaps back in charging surrounding itself in electricity and meeting Azumarill head on.

"Azumarill, loop around please."

Just as the two were about to collide, Azumarill pulls up launching itself straight into the sky. Pichu having missed its target stops running only to realize Azumarill crashing into it from behind. Pichu unfortunately can't keep going.

"Pichu is unable to battle!"

"Return Pichu, you did a good job," Leaf said. "I don't plan on losing. Espeon use Signal Beam."

"Dodge you two!"

Azumarill and Sunflora easily leap aside from the attack rather easily. That was until they realized the beam suddenly switched directions and split into two attacks, both of which crashed into its targets.

"I guess she finally managed to finish it," said her brother.

"Let me guess. Your sister has learned to manipulate her own attacks by using Psychic to split the attack into multiple directions," said Michael.

"Precisely, earlier she was trying to figure out how to get it started for one of her own complex ideas. I would have tried it if I had a Psychic Pokemon, but I don't."

"That combination of hers must be really scary then."

"Once it's complete I'm not even sure how you would handle it."

When he saw Azumarill and Sunflora starting to get up from that surprise attack, Justy launches his next pair of attacks. "That was really good, but now this battle is over. You might be able to win one-on-one but sadly it's two-one and I'm not going to be going easy. Sunflora use Solar Beam. Azumarill use Aqua Jet."

Azumarill gathers water around itself again and launches itself at Espeon while its partner starts to charge in sunlight.

"Espeon use Psychic on Azumarill."

Espeon levels its glare on the Aquarabbit freezing itself in place.

"Now send it flying."

Espeon hurls Azumarill away letting it fall right out of the sky. It would have crashed but Sunflora catches it with its vines.

"Now Solar Beam!"

Before Espeon could react, Sunflora's beam of light strikes her down. Espeon promptly faints.

"Espeon is unable to battle. The winner is the Pregymleader Justy!" announces Michael.

Both trainers recall their Pokemon and stand up to give each other a handshake.

"That was an excellent battle Leaf. I was very impressed," the Pregymleader said.

"Thanks, but you did so much better than me."

"You did great at the start, but at the end you lost control of the battle," said her brother as he along with Michael walked up towards them. "It's something you learn to control as you battle more. That was a great job sis," he said as he ruffled her hair. Her only response was to try and get out of her brother's grip.

"We'll have to be moving on Justy," said Michael. "This guy needs to compete in the Phenac Stadium now," he said pointing towards the raven haired trainer.

"If his sister's skills are any margin of strength, then he's won for sure. Do come back again," Justy said as the trio walked out the doors.

"Okay guys the Phenac Stadium is directly behind this Gym, so follow me," said the resident Orre citizen.

* * *

"Man that was an unexpectedly more difficult," said Rui.

"Still nothing that we can't handle," Wes commented staring towards the damaged area. "Did you by chance figure out what happened to those Pokemon?"

"They aren't Shadow Pokemon, but their hearts…" Rui shuddered stopping her own train of thought. "It seemed like they were a pack of ferocious animals without any reason. Their hearts aren't shut down by artificial means, but what could that mean?"

"Orre always has been a dangerous place. Maybe those Pokemon couldn't handle the stress. Let's go to HQ with the results."

* * *

"Our first entrant of the Phenac Stadium tournament is now approaching. Please put your hands together for the trainer Red!"

"_Let's begin," _he thought as he gripped his Pokeball staring at the trainer that will be his opponent who was entering the stadium.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I'm really trying to keep up to my usual pace of once every month, but I've been falling behind. I'm also going to be busy for a while, so there's that.

Personal thoughts aside, what did you think of the chapter? Is there anything people want to see in Orre? I'm still open to suggestions. In fact, they help me make the chapters faster.

Anyways until next time, remember to leave a review and see you next time.

P.S. If anyone has read a decent fanfiction with great Pokemon battle scenes, I'd like to know. As a battle fic oriented author, I want to know what others have come up with.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliations. I only own the OC's and the plot.

**Reference: ****_"thought/Aura speech"_****/ _'_Pokemon speech'/ "speech" **

**Author's Notes: ****If you saw my other fic's update, well you would have noticed that I didn't get that much done in October. In fact, I just decided to use that as time off from this fic so I wouldn't have to deal with updating pressures. But now I'm back with another chapter. Tell me what you guys think.**

* * *

The grand stadium of Phenac was an enormous dome shaped building that was the monument of the city. Located at the very top of the city, Phenac Stadium was the pride and joy of many of the citizens here where the source of water originated that flowed down the walls of the stadium around the stage and out of the building leading to the streets. This architectural feat was not possible except with the help of many. If PhenacCity was the jewel that thrived amongst the harsh desert winds then Phenac Stadium was where the city sparkled. It was a testament to the many citizens that they might one day become stronger Pokemon Trainers without the worry of any harsh or dangerous people coming from say Pyrite Town.

It was here in this stadium that Red faced down his opponent.

"This Phenac Stadium Tournament shall now begin!" the announcer said to the roaring approval of the crowd. Unlike most places, the stadium seating was not located in an entire circle around the stadium. Rather the spectators watched in theater like private boxes near the smooth sound of the waterfalls.

"This first matchup is between Red and Riesko. Battle commence!"

"I choose you Electrike!"

_"Time to see what you can do." _"Trapinch it's your turn to shine."

The Lightning and Ant Pit Pokemon began to stare each other down looking to gain an early intimidation.

_"Let's see here," _Ash thought as he took out his old Pokedex. _"It has the moves Dig, Bite, Bide, and Sand Tomb for now. I can work with that." _"Trapinch start off with Sand Tomb."

"Electrike dodge and use Headbutt."

Crushing sand comes forth from the ground hoping to ensnare its foe. The Electric type dog easily avoids it and charges in with its head.

"Use Bide."

Electrike hits Trapinch squarely into its mouth, but Trapinch took the hit without flinching.

"Electrike keep attacking just like that," her trainer rooted on.

Electrike keeps going and attacks continuously at the unmoving Ground type.

Red just smirked. "Trapinch release the energy now."

A white flash shined across the stadium blinding everyone in the vicinity. Electrike gets pushed back towards its trainer looking a lot more tired.

"Trapinch use Dig."

"Look out!"

Still too tired to move, Electrike could not dodge once it was hit. It was an easy knockout.

"Electrike is unable to continue. Trapinch is the winner."

"Return Electrike. I choose you Oddish!"

Riesko's Electrike is quickly replaced by her Oddish. Red still remains rather unfazed.

_"I guess this battle is going to be very easy then,"_ he thought before mentally sighing. It looks like he'll have to wait before a strong trainer would appear.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

"I thought that this stadium would have stronger trainers. This girl seems like a rather easy opponent. I'm pretty sure I could win easily," Leaf commented while looking down from their booth. Next to her was Michael who was lazily leaning against the railing.

"If you're looking for someone who could pose a challenge then it'll be a while," he replied as he looked at the stadium's chart. The Phenac Stadium challenge was known for uprising trainers to be found, but that wasn't very often. Most of the time, the local citizens would seek to improve their skills here, but that meant that the majority who participated were usually new or learning. Compared to Red, they'd be nothing. "The only way your brother will find some sort of challenge is if a new prodigy is found today. Usually it doesn't happen, but it could."

Leaf watched on at the battle where Trapinch dug up from underneath Oddish resulting in another knockout. "Either way this is boring! We both know that he's going to win, so why should he compete in this?"

"It's the official rules," Michael shrugged. "In the mean time you could learn from these battles."

"How so?"

"You could always see what you'd do if you were either trainer. It helps to straighten out your own flaws as a trainer."

"I guess," she said. Her brother did tell her to heed Michael's advice since her battle style was closely aligned with his. "It's still boring."

"The path to being a champion is a long and tedious process," Michael replied. They watched the next series of battles before being disturbed by a P*DA ringing out rather loudly.

"Let's see here. Hm… it's from Wes…"

Michael quickly scanned the text before suddenly getting up about to leave.

"Where are you going?" Leaf asked.

"I've got to get back to HQ. Tell Ash to head back as well after he's done cleaning up here."

She was temporarily frozen before realizing that they were in a private box. It was still weird for her to hear her brother's actual name when they were in public. In fact, they've gone by their code name for so long that she actually preferred being called Leaf unless it was just Rui, her brother, and herself.

* * *

"So what did she say?" asked the silver haired trainer.

"Her highness is under the impression that there's a disturbance in the Aura," Rui replied. The two were currently waiting at a conference room waiting for their resident champion/professor to enter.

"Did she say what the cause was?"

"Lady Ilene believes those Pokemon must have been subjected to some of the lingering Shadow Aura still in the air. More specifically, she believes it's the residue coming off of the Pokemon that had their hearts closed. Based on what she says, I'm assuming it was probably stronger due to the area. If you noticed, that was the place where Shadow Lugia was supposedly tested."

"So it's some sort of leftover feeling of darkness from the Shadow Pokemon? It makes sense since you said their hearts themselves weren't closed."

"Then do you think it's Cypher?"

"No, I'm almost positive Cypher is gone," said Wes.

"Weren't you the one who thought these people might have been them?"

"I was, but now I think it's something else entirely. Hopefully it was a onetime thing though," he said.

"Did you tell Michael yet? He needs to be informed."

"I already sent the message, but he better get here quick."

* * *

"The final round of the Phenac Stadium challenge is underway. First in the left is the only trainer to not have lost a single Pokemon or have swapped any, Red. To my right is Dylan. Battle commence!"

_"Since the battles aren't that tough, I might as well start leveling up Trapinch so it can get close to the levels of the rest of my team." _"Trapinch I choose you."

"I choose you Sceptile."

The two Pokemon appear in a flash of light. One seems visibly unnerved while the other seems ready to win.

_"I didn't think someone would have fully evolved Pokemon in this tournament. What do you know?" _"Trapinch start off with a Dig."

"That won't work. Sceptile use Earthquake."

Trapinch quickly made its way underground. Sceptile counters by slamming its tail into the floor causing Trapinch to be quickly fly into the air.

"Now use Leaf Blade."

The gecko propelled itself forward with the leaves on its right arm forming a green blade ready to strike the small Ant Pit Pokemon.

"Trapinch use Bite!"

Trapinch shifted its body in midair to meet Sceptile face to face. Sceptile slammed its arms down in a scythe-like motion, but it got caught by Trapinch's mouth.

"What just happened?" Dylan asked.

"You may not realize it, but Trapinch has the physical strength of Flygon in their small bodies. Now Trapinch, throw it away."

Before the two Pokemon could fall, Trapinch swung its head upward and then released the Grass type before landing neatly onto the ground. Sceptile wasn't so lucky as the throw pushed it all the way to the stadium's edge.

"Sceptile charge back in there now!"

_"This guy has a long way to go." _"Trapinch use Sand Tomb."

Before Sceptile could speed forward, it gets encased with sand impeding its movement.

"Now push it towards the water!"

Trapinch struggles to do just that due to the distance, but it manages to force the sand to throw Sceptile into the stadium's edge.

"No Sceptile!"

As soon as the water was washed away, everyone could see the fainted Forest Pokemon floating on top of the water.

"Sceptile is unable to battle. Trapinch is the winner."

"But…but how?" Dylan asked as he recalled his Sceptile. "That should have been an easy victory."

"You're arrogant," Red replied. "No matter what the circumstance, there's always a chance for momentum to shift. So what are you going to do now?"

"Grr… I choose you Ursaring."

"Trapinch use Sand Tomb."

"Oh no you don't, Ursaring use Hyper Beam!"

Channeling the same anger as his trainer, Ursaring quickly launches a red-orange beam that knocks Trapinch into the stadium wall making it land underneath the flowing water from the stage.

"Trapinch is unable to battle."

_"This guy, I can't lose to someone like him," _Red bitterly thought as he returned his Trapinch. _"He's just like all those other trainers I've proven wrong. There's no way I can love to someone like him. I'll avenge you Trapinch."_ "I choose you Leavanny."

Leavanny appears on the stage much to the excitement of the crowd. Most people in Orre have rarely seen Sinnoh Pokemon let alone this Unovan Pokemon.

"It doesn't matter what kind of Pokemon it is. We'll take you down. Ursaring use Fire Punch."

"Leavanny use String Shot on its feet."

Ursaring marches forward with its fist clenched with flames, but it quickly becomes immobile due to the String Shot that tied it to the stadium's floor.

"Leavanny use Razor Leaf."

Ursaring gets hit by a barrage of razor sharp leaves, but in the process of doing so, some of the leaves cut the String Shot binding its feet to the floor.

"It looks like you messed up there. Ursaring use Hyper Beam!"

"Leavanny use String Shot on its mouth."

Ursaring starts charging its attack, but its mouth gets instantly sealed as more String Shot binds its mouth together like a muzzle.

"Leavanny finish this with Razor Leaf."

"Ursaring use Fire Punch."

More leaves begin to assault the large bear, but Ursaring quickly burns them with its fist.

"Looks like I get to end this with style," said Red. "Leavanny use String Shot straight into Ursaring's chest."

Another glob of silk escapes Leavanny's mouth straight into the round circle of Ursaring.

"Now throw it into the water."

Showing surprising amounts of strength, Leavanny brings Ursaring up before slamming it down at the stadium's edge. Ursaring faints upon the impact.

"Ursaring is unable to continue. Please send out your final Pokemon."

"Tch…," Dylan grunted, "I choose you Shiftdry."

"Leavanny begin with X-Scissor."

"Shiftdry use Sucker Punch."

Before Leavanny could make its move, Shiftdry appears before it and quickly knocks it away.

_"It's fast," _Red quickly processed. "Let's slow things down. Leavanny use String Shot."

"I won't let you. Shiftdry use Leaf Storm."

The glob of silk is launched. It, however, gets quickly blown back as a barrage of leaves change its direction sending a vicious onslaught at Leavanny. Leavanny's own String Shot binds it together while the Leaf Storm knocks it towards the water at the edge.

"Now Shiftdry, use Nature Power."

A light green aura surrounds Shiftdry before columns of water erupt from all over Phenac Stadium. Each waterfall near the spectator's booths change shape into vicious Hydro Pumps that are aimed directly at Leavanny.

_"That's going to hurt even with the type resistance."_ "Leavanny use String Shot against the walls. Start swinging your way out to dodge."

Leavanny's mouth quickly attaches itself to the nearest wall dodging an incoming column of water. Leavanny dodges several more before the torrents could hit.

_"We need to get the attacks away from the crowd, but then how to dodge._" Red turned and noticed that Shiftdry was completely still concentrating on its connection with nature. _"Time to use that to our advantage."_ "Leavanny use String Shot and connect yourself to Shiftdry."

Leavanny nods with its orders and attaches a strand of silk to Shiftdry and uses the momentum to get close to the Grass type.

"Shiftdry stop your attack!" Dylan cried out in a hurry. Shiftdry halts its attack noticing now that the water would have attacked both the still bound Leavanny and itself. "Leavanny's still stuck so let's use Dark Pulse."

"You would think that wouldn't you?" Red asked rhetorically. "Leavanny use X-Scissor."

Seemingly cutting its way out of its own binding, Leavanny crosses its arm while neatly evading the Dark Pulse and lands a hit onto Shiftdry. Shiftdry not being able to stand that attack due to its own typing and weariness from its Nature Power falls onto the floor.

"Shiftdry is unable to continue. The winner of the Phenac Stadium Challenge is Red!"

"Return Leavanny you did a good job." Red then noticed his opponent getting really angry at the result of the match. "You did a good job there Dylan," he said before walking away. He never noticed the surprised look on the boy's face.

* * *

"So that's what's happening…" Michael mused. "Mom always thought there must have been some sort of side effect from the creation of Shadow Pokemon. I'll ask Prof. Krane about it. What you going to do now then?"

"I'm going back undercover," Wes said. Knowing that his girlfriend would complain he quickly followed by saying, "Only you and Michael can find out more on the Shadow Pokemon's residue. My job, as both of you know it, is different. Besides, don't your cousins still need your guidance?"

Rui just huffed as her response. She knew it was true. As much as she wished her boyfriend to be a lighter individual, she knew his job relied on the fact that he got involved with shadier dealings. It's how she was rescued in the first place after all.

"I'll be off you two. I'll tell you when to meet up again," he said. He kissed Rui before leaving the door. "And Michael, you better get stronger. I'm not going to allow this record be tied forever." With that he walked out of the meeting room.

"I guess I should go talk to Prof. Krane then. Rui you might want to stay here for a while. Ash and Amy should be returning soon."

_"Why can't things here be more relaxed like back at Cameran Palace?"_ Rui thought. _"Oh well if things were always the same I wouldn't know what I'd do. Maybe I can get Amy to work on some of her Aura Readings. At least the family's back together right?"_

* * *

The two siblings were heading outside the city of Phenac only to be halted by Justy at the exit.

"Come back soon you two especially you Leaf. I'm sure within a few months at the PreGym you can start making your own stadium challenges soon."

"Thanks again Justy!" said Leaf as she shook hands with him.

"Now Red, since you've just finished with Phenac, the next stadium should be Pyrite Colosseum. But I would recommend training at Mt. Battle either before then or after."

"What's Mt. Battle?" he asked.

"Do you have your P*DA?"

"Um yeah give me a sec."

After rummaging through his pack, he took out the device and gave it to Justy.

"Oh I see that Michael already put in my e-mail for you. Okay time to open up the map…"

Justy quickly tapped the screen a few times before indicating a spot towards the very top of the device.

"Right up to the north is Mt. Battle. It's an open facility of for trainers of all kinds to train."

"Isn't that where the mountains are located though? How can there be a whole facility?" asked Leaf. She remembered travelling through many caves and mountains, but creating an entire battling facility was unheard of for her.

"Yes it is. It's actually built on an active volcano."

"An active volcano?" asked Red. This was becoming more and more interesting by the second.

"The Mt. Battle facility works by taking a challenge of one hundred battles in a row. Of course after each battle your Pokemon will be given time to heal, but it's not like the Elite Four challenge. Instead of facing back to back trainers of immense skill, you have to work your way towards the top where the final arena is held on the top of the volcano."

"So it's a challenge of endurance then?"

"It is. You have to work your way by battling ten sets of ten trainers. Every tenth trainer will be headed by the Area Leader. Of course the first few sets will be relatively easy; it'll probably take me maybe thirty minutes to clear the first three rooms when I'm not trying. It gradually gets tougher though."

"So it gets challenging the more you win? I guess it's for helping the newer trainers get better while the stronger trainers can advance more quickly."

"What are you thinking brother? It's on a volcano!" Leaf screamed. "The desert heat maybe fine, but I don't want to stick around a volcano if I can."

"It's totally safe," Justy assured. "In fact, the middle sets are actually battled inside the volcano. In fact, nobody even registers the dangerous ness of it all, not even the intense heat."

"This will also lead to unnerving an inexperienced trainer who might not be used to the height, temperature, or overall conditions and causing them to panic. It's the perfect training area."

Ignoring the gasp of disbelief from his sister, he shook hands with Justy. "Thanks for everything Justy."

"Be sure to visit you two. I'll see you guys around."

Seeing Justy returning to the PreGym, the two siblings walked outside the perimeter only to feel the intense desert heat once more.

"You can really feel the difference in temperature just by walking out," Leaf said quite annoyed. At least her brother taught her to use her Aura to shield against the intense heat. That at least gave some relief to her. "Can we hurry up big brother and return to HQ? "

"Yeah give me a few seconds so I can get this thing set to Pokemon HQ," he said tapping the screen of his P*DA a couple of times before setting a course. He then gave it to his sister to hold onto. "We're not getting lost like last time. Send out Riolu again and we'll be on our way."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** The Phenac Stadium challenge wasn't meant to be all that special. I started strolling through the list of trainers you could face in Phenac and found Riesko, but then I noticed all of their Pokemon for the most part were weak and I didn't want to bore any of you so I made the OC for the final. Most of you could already tell that it would be the joke stadium for our hero, but I took the liberty of using it as a reason to level up Trapinch.

I'm hoping to get back to writing 5k chapters but I really didn't want to write something that would have been boring to read because that's just boring for me to write. Oh well, things should start looking up with the introduction of a new side plot brewing so look forward to that.

Please tell me what you think in a review. Until next time, see you!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliations. I only own the OC's and the plot.

**Reference: **_"thought/Aura speech"_/ _'_Pokemon speech'/ "speech"

**Author's Notes:** Well this is pretty late, but I've been busy. Besides, I have been having some writer's block to go along with all of this so there's also that. But let's get on with the story.

* * *

It was a bright, sunny day as the group decided to take a nice training excursion by a small lake a few miles away from the Pokemon Laboratory for some training. Currently, Ash and Michael were in the midst of competition while Rui was judging the match. The two siblings were meanwhile in the stands rooting for their own to win.

"Come on Ash is that the best you can do?"

"Kingler use Crabhammer."

"Walrein dodge and use Blizzard."

The giant walrus dodges the giant claw coming straight at it by smoothly gliding away. It quickly follows up with a Blizzard freezing Kingler.

"Walrein finish this up with a Giga Impact."

A swirl of purple surrounds Walrein as it crashes into Kingler.

"Kingler is unable to battle," said Rui. "Walrein wins."

"Good job Walrein. You deserve a nice rest."

"You too Kingler," replied the raven-haired trainer as two red beams recall the two battling Pokemon.

"See I told you Michael would win," said a blue haired girl to her raven-haired friend.

"That's just because he was going easy on yours," Amy tried to deny.

"No I wasn't," said Ash shaking his head at the outcome. "I just lost this time Amy."

"When you first arrived here I thought you were already at our level," said Michael. (The 'our' meaning the two Orre champions.) "You tied against me when we first get here, and even Wes admits your own strength. Then you easily clean up the Phenac Stadium challenge. Sure the last one doesn't really count but still."

"I thought I was doing just fine," was his even-leveled response.

"No it wasn't fine. You were doing excellent earlier with your Swellow against my Altaria and even your Floatzel was doing fine against my Poliwrath, but all your other Pokemon completely lost against mine. Do you know why?"

Seeing a shake of the head Michael answered, "It's because even though you are an excellent trainer, your Pokemon aren't up to skill."

"Hey my Pokemon are great!" Ash replied heatedly. He would never insult the talent of his Pokemon.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Michael said with a wave of his arms trying to calm down the now irate trainer. "It's just that some of your Pokemon lack the skills or experience as the others."

"So what about you? I can clearly see the difference between your Salamence to your Shiftdry."

"Well of course some Pokemon are going to be stronger than the others. You of all people should know that your Pikachu is one of a kind. I am sure the average Pikachu wouldn't be able to do half the things it's able to do. It's just that even if you train your Pokemon to be strong, your Pokemon's strengths aren't balanced."

Seeing that her cousin's mood has not lightened, Rui spoke up this time, "Ash, even if you train all your Pokemon there will always be a star on a team. That's just how it is. But what Michael's saying is that there's a clear distinction right now between your Pokemon. About only half of them could take on Michael, and maybe only a third could take on Wes. That's the problem."

"So what about Michael's group?"

"I'm positive every single one of his Pokemon could in fact take on Wes's Pokemon. That's the reason they always keep tying on their wins and losses ratio."

Ash was still fuming over this, but in the end, he knew it was true. His obvious battle ready Pokemon were Pikachu, Lucario, Charizard, Sceptile, Snorlax, and only a couple others. Even he could say there was a clear distinction between say his Gliscor and his Unfezant.

"Your team needs a better sense of balance between their levels. Otherwise, only those few Pokemon will be able to compete at the level you need to win the Orre Colosseum number one. It won't work that way because then people will be scouting and will get accustomed to your battling style even one that's as adaptable as yours Ash."

"I heard from Justy you were going to take Mt. Battle challenge. Here's the deal. It's clear that you can win it with your main team, but let's see you do it with those that aren't up to pace. At least this way, your team will get the necessary training to catch up. And it might be what you need to level up your Trapinch again since the first few are extremely easy battles."

"Big brother should do it," his sister said firmly. "You could probably even beat the record time for finishing all one hundred battles."

That got Ash's inner sense to calm down. The pure sense of challenge in beating the records of probably both Wes and Michael got him pumped. Also, he always did a have a soft spot for these non-league challenges as even before he travelled around with Amy; he won several of these challenges including both the Orange Island and the Battle Frontier.

"Alright I'll do it."

"See that was fast," whispered Rui over to Michael. Speaking up now she said, "Ash just go on ahead now. Amy will be fine with here."

"If you're sure about it," he said looking at Amy.

"Oh don't worry Mister Ash sir," spoke up Jovi. "I was going to take Amy with me somewhere."

Michael just shook his head apparently remembering something. "Yeah they'll be fine. So go on out Ash, and you better be a better opponent when you return."

"Got it."

Ash walked off towards his hover cycle and quickly departed.

Michael turned directly towards the two kids. "Let me guess you are heading to Kaminko's aren't you?"

"Yup," said the blue haired child leaving the raven-haired girl confused.

"Rui they're going to be fine on their own. Would you mind helping me in the lab?

"Sure I guess," she said not exactly sure how _everyone_ left within seconds of just telling Ash to leave. Shrugging to herself, she walked back to HQ trailing behind Michael.

* * *

"Amy keep up. You're so slow!"

"I'm hurrying but where exactly are we heading?"

"Why to Kaminko's of course," the blue haired girl replied.

"But we've been running for a long time now," Amy whined. Now of course she was used to all the long walks since travelling with her big brother, but at least she knew an idea where the place was located. This place Jovi seemed fascinated with she didn't have the faintest idea.

"It's not that far away. I used to go here all the time even when I was younger."

So far, the pair has been running through the grasses for over fifteen minutes. They continued onward until finally Jovi at last said, "There it is!"

They were situated on a rather tall hill when she said it. She started pointing at a location that compared to the rest of the area was rather dark and gloomy.

"Are we really heading over there?" Amy asked now slightly worried.

"Come on you're not scared Amy?" Jovi asked while leaning forward slightly.

"O-of course not."

"Great then let's keep moving!"

Jovi started running down the hill as fast as she could with Amy trying to catch up to her energetic friend.

The two of them finally arrived at the edge of the mansion albeit with two different expressions. Jovi was still a bundle of energy while Amy leaned on a wall breathing rather heavily.

"_Note to self- get brother to start getting me into shape."_

"Come on I got to introduce someone," said Jovi trotting ahead of her.

Now left somewhat alone, Amy was able to take a better look at her surroundings. The first word that came to her mind was spooky.

Electricity was pouring out from the ceiling; lightning striking every other second, and the forests gave off an ominous feel through its umbrage.

"_And yet it was Jovi who was the one who brought me here…" _Amy was left confused. Her friend who was always hyperactive went here of all places. It didn't make any sense for the small prodigy.

"Riolu come on out!"

The blue jackal appeared before her in a bright flash of light. Getting into a kneeling position it asked, _"What did you want Mistress?"_

"Oh no reason, no reason at all," the girl tried to laugh it off. "Definitely because I'm n-n-not scared or anything."

It was then that Riolu started looking around that it realized why its master was acting strangely. Though she tried to hide it, any place that the average person would call creepy she would be spooked beyond control. Granted that her brother usually calmed her down immediately, but the blue jackal couldn't find any signs of said brother.

Riolu just sighed and walked in front of its master. They proceeded to follow after where Jovi supposedly went on.

"Jovi~ Jovi where are you?"

Immediately, Riolu's ears started rising upwards. Then a second later, a rather large lightning flash blinded the duo for a few seconds. After adjusting to the light, what Amy saw next scared her witless.

"!" she screeched before passing out.

The last thing she heard were the words, "I thought she was your friend."

* * *

"So this is the famous Mt. Battle facility."

Upon arriving at the base of the mountain he could say he was immediately impressed. Trainers of various ages were at the entrance/courtyard readying themselves for the challenge or battling other would-be challengers.

"This is an interesting atmosphere for sure."

He continued onward until he stopped at a bulletin board. Something immediately caught his eye.

_This challenge is not to be compared with league challenges from the main regions!_

He was immediately intrigued by this so he kept reading.

_After every battle, your Pokemon will be healed after any zone unlike in an Elite Four challenge*. If at any point you want to leave, you may by calling for an Abra to teleport you back at the entrance. Be warned that even with a full healing that challenging continuously that your Pokemon's overall stamina may fade into a deep state of exhaustion. __DO NOT PUT YOUR POKEMON PAST ITS LIMITS!_

"They take safety to a whole 'nother level," he muttered under his breath. Not that he personally minded. A Pokemon's safety was the foremost concern for any trainer, so it was common knowledge for a good trainer to swell his pride and their Pokemon's if they know they are fighting a losing battle.

_If you do make it through all 100 battles there will be a special reward if you do._

Now that was definitely interesting.

"This might not be so bad after all," he said as he finally walked into the main lobby.

The atmosphere here was likewise just as inviting as the outside. There was a Pokemon Center in the left corner and there was a PokeMart at the right corner. The lobby itself was filled with many rows of tables containing trainers talking in hushed voices to each other.

"Now if only Kanto had a place like this."

He stepped towards what looked to be the main desk.

"Oh is this your first time visiting Mt. Battle?" the lady stationed there asked.

"Yes it is."

"Then would you like me to explain about Mt. Battle?" she said trailing off slightly.

"My name is Red and yes that would be really appreciated."

"Mt. Battle was made to help train trainers from varying levels in skill as you might know." Seeing him nod in confirmation, she continued, "That is why the beginning zones might seem very easy to you. As you probably know, the trainers increase in strength the farther you go. After every zone, there will be a small clinic with both a Nurse Joy to heal your Pokemon and a PC so that you may switch your team around. There's a time limit per zone though, so you must make a decision to exit or continue onward. This is to maintain the aspect of an endurance run. Also, please note that if you ever want to return in the middle of the challenge all you have to do is walk backwards towards an exit an Abra will teleport you back to the lobby. Do you have any questions?"

"Not particularly."

"Well it looks like you're ready for the Mt. Battle challenge," she said while stepping aside so that he could walk past her. "The door behind me will open as you step in front of it. Best of luck sir."

"Thanks."

He stepped through the doors, idly noticing the Abra that was sitting towards the side, and continued towards his first trainer.

Upon stepping out though, he was pushed to the edge of the railing by a very strong wind.

"_Shouldn't they at least warn us about these weird conditions?"_

He kept walking making sure that he did not look down. He did not have a fear of heights, but this was just absurd!

To top it all off, as he walked towards the circular battlefield with the number 1 on it, he noticed that a small rotary fan underneath was supporting the arena.

Did people care about their safety anymore?

He would soon find out even stranger quirks as he started progressing through the mountain.

* * *

"What just happened?"

Amy slowly rose up vision returning only to jump back in surprise.

"Whoa easy Amy," said a familiar voice. Slowly regaining her bearings, she looked around noticing her friend standing a few feet away standing next to a person whose height was comparable to both Jovi's and her own.

"_Mistress, you fainted for a couple minutes. These two have been trying to wake you up since," _her Riolu told her.

"I didn't expect you to faint upon meeting him, but here's my friend Chobin."

"Chobin thought there were more intruders on the great Dr. Kaminko's property. Chobin is glad it was just young Jovi and her new friend."

"Oh the name's Amy Mr. Chobin sir."

"No no, it's just Chobin," he said in reply to her statement. He then proceeded to whisper something to Jovi who just nodded her head. Chobin walked off towards the mansion again leaving the two friends alone.

"Why did he leave?"

"Oh he'll be back in a few minutes. He's got a surprise he wants to show you," Jovi said with a secret grin. She stopped however and asked, "Now why did you faint? Chobin is the like the least terrifying person ever."

"Oh it wasn't really him," she said. "It's more like this scary mansion," she said pointing at the electricity emanating around and another lightning flashing again.

"Oh that, well you get used to it."

"I guess I'll have to take your word for it," she muttered to herself still mad at herself for actually fainting. Ash made sure to stop her from ever fainting even during the scariest parts of their own journey. In fact, the only fainting that ever happened around her for the better part of a year was fainting due to exhaustion, whether from her brother tired from his own personal Aura training or his Pokemon battling through their limits.

"Cheer up okay Amy. You can't possibly be my rival if you can't even handle something like this."

"Hey!"

"See a smile is much more natural on your face," Jovi said trying to keep herself from laughing. It was a losing battle and she began to anyway.

Amy was about to tackle her friend before a rather loud sound stopped both of them.

"Oh he must be back already," said Jovi.

"What's going on?"

The sound was coming from the fountain. Upon further inspection, they noticed that the fountain was mechanically receding and a large metal platform was rising. On top of the platform was a large mechanical Groudon with Chobin inside.

"Meet the Robo Groudon Amy!"

"That looks so cool."

"It's one of Dr. Kaminko's finest works," said Chobin proudly. Then he deflated a bit and said, "Well before he decided to scrap it. That is why I will carry on its legacy."

"So what exactly does it do?" Amy asked.

"Hehe well you see there isn't anything really special about it," said Jovi making Amy face-fault.

"Nothing special about it—this machinery is amazing," said Chobin trying to ignore the blasphemous words from his young friend.

"Well it's cool looking and it's possible to battle. It has a couple of other small commands but that's about it."

"So what was the point of all this anticipation?" Amy asked Jovi.

"It's because you can battle against it. Chobin, I think a demonstration should be put on don't you think."

"Of course, all who oppose Robo Groudon shall lose."

"_Well Riolu what do you think? Do you want to battle?"_

"_Anytime you're ready Mistress."_

"Well then I'll accept your challenge."

"Then let this battle between Robo Groudon Chobin and Pokemon Trainer Amy now get under way. Please select your Pokemon," said Jovi deciding to act as the referee.

"_Robo Groudon Chobin? That is his whole title under that thing. That's so funny!" _thought Jovi to herself. "Alright I think I'll start off with my new Trapinch and also my Pichu."

"Chobin will choose his Jumpluff and my Tropius."

There was a slight difference between the two trainers throwing their Pokeballs though. On Amy's side, she sent out two of her Pokeballs out from her right hand. In Chobin's case, he fed his Pokeballs to the Robo Groudon's palm. Once the two Pokeballs were safely attached, it then spun its arms wildly sending out both of his Pokemon at the same time.

"That was unique I guess."

"There's more where that came from." To prove these words, the Robo Groudon started a loud roar that made both Jovi and Amy cover their ears. "I think Jovi will be surprised that this machine is better than ever after being defeated by your brother several times. Chobin shall prove Robo Groudon is the best!"

* * *

"It looks like Wes has already found lead," said Michael to Rui. The two of them were currently looking over some reports in the small commons area outside of their living quarters. That was until Michael got an urgent email just now.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"He's in Pyrite. He's talking to both Secc and Nett over the recent developments. Apparently besides that small battle you and Wes had there have been reports of other Pokemon with the same effects. Again, it's just a rumor since none of this has been confirmed yet."

"Which is exactly what Wes is doing right now isn't he? Which means he didn't send you that email either, did he?"

"Yeah it was actually Nett. Does that mean you're going to head over there soon?"

"I will not under any circumstance go to Pyrite by myself," Rui said with an involuntary shudder. "I don't care if the place has gotten a bit cleaner in recent years; Pyrite is still a seedy place to be in."

She was interrupted by the sound of Michael's P*DA ringing.

"Who's it from now?"

"It's from Ash."

He skimmed through the message before putting his device away.

"So what's it say?"

"He says that he's doing great; he's already a quarter of the way through the Mt. Battle challenge. He also apparently is wondering why nobody told him about aggressive winds blowing him away. You know what he's talking about?"

"Not a clue."

* * *

**_Omake:_**

The Quirks of Mt. Battle Part 1:

"This wind is insane."

Having cleared already the first two zones, the wind was starting to kick up even more the higher along he went. He could only imagine what the zones towards the top felt like.

"How is it that nobody here is affected either?"

Ash proceeded to Area 3's first trainer standing squarely in the center of the battlefield. Taking note of the trainer's appearance, he noticed that the trainer in front of him wasn't affected in the slightest by the wind. Ash's own clothing was billowing, yet everyone else was standing perfectly calm and relaxed. Was this really only affecting him?

"Are you here to challenge me?" Trainer 21 asked.

"Let's get this over with."

Ash sent out his Tauros against the trainer's Charmeleon.

"Tauros use Take Down."

Before the other trainer or his Pokemon could react, Tauros rammed into the Charmeleon sending it past the boundaries of the stadium.

"Whoa sorry I didn't mean for that to happen."

Honestly Ash was surprised this was the first trainer that he sent the other trainer's Pokemon off the stadium. He knew that the average Pokemon trainer was stronger than the earlier trainers were, so he felt somewhat concerned at the lack of railings/border for the boundaries of each mini-arena. Then again, he didn't really want to use any powerful moves as a sort of pity to all the lower levels.

"Charmeleon use Flamethrower."

Amazingly, Charmeleon reappeared standing in the exact same position as earlier with only a few scratches from the earlier hit. Completely unfazed, Charmeleon sent a stream of fire at the surprised Tauros landing a direct hit.

"What just happened?"

This same affect kept happening the farther along he went, yet this strange phenomenon kept eluding him.

Every time he went to the rest area at the end of each zone, he wanted to say it was the Abra standing by each rest station, and was just sitting in the corner looking dead because it was tired. He wasn't entirely sure about his logic due to the fact Abra were lethargic Pokemon naturally, so he could never prove this theory. And everyone around him would just ignore whenever he tried asking.

"Oh well as long as I'm not responsible," he tried to say, but he still couldn't let this go. But he moved on anyway to keep up with the record time.

The Quirks of Mt. Battle Part 2:

"This heat is unbearable even for me."

Ash continued on his streak through Area 4 and Area 5 quite easily, but the heat was sure building up. Although he wouldn't show any actual signs of being hot due to his Aura training, it still was a bothersome thing to deal with.

That and he absolutely refused to show a sign of weakness compared to all the trainers around him. Everyone else was doing absolutely fine and even was unconcerned that parts of the mountain was chipping off and falling directly into the lava. Nope, he wouldn't show any signs of weakness. His pride demanded at least that much.

"_And that pesky wind decides to stop as soon as I enter the volcano. Great."_

But he would continue on knowing that if he complained, he wouldn't be able to look either Michael or his sister in the face after saying this endurance test would be simple enough..

Although he did find it a small relief that the strange quirk from earlier was simply happening every time he battled. Maybe that's why nobody was scared. They knew that they would be saved just like their Pokemon.

"_Even still, it's one thing for a trainer to risk the perils alone with his own team, but to consciously work here and do this."_

After seeing another Pokemon fall off the ledge and come dangerously close to falling into the lava only to reappear and attack, he could honestly say that there was nothing in the entire Pokemon universe that was as weird as this place or at least none that he knew of.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Sorry again for the long wait, but based on how my life has been you are just going to have to get used to it for now.

*Since in the game the Pokemon are healed after every battle, I thought this sounded more plausible than being miraculously healed without any nurse.

Man I've really wanted to make that omake for a long time. Mt. Battle is one of the strangest places in the entire Pokemon universe. The wind effect on Ash was just for fun, but the whole no boundaries and the *ahem* volcano is never explained by cannon so there you go. This was mainly to satisfy the urge to write something on Mt. Battle. If it was bad, well that's why I never do omakes. If you thought it was funny, well at least I passed on a laugh to someone.

Okay so this wasn't as long as I hoped and I think the quality in content suffered since it has been so long since I've finished a chapter for this. So tell me if anything was lacking this time around. There might be more mistakes than usual because I wanted to get this out as fast as possible.

Well that should be all. Until next time, see you guys.


End file.
